Champion of Champions
by Basic Trainer
Summary: It's been 3 years since Ash left Unova or seen his friends. He spent all that time training and now he's ready to start again. As he starts his journey to conquer the Pokemon Leagues he finds meets an old friend who has a favour to ask.
1. Chapter 1

**This is just a note to say that this is my first story and I welcome any feed back on what you think.**

**In this story the characters are older these are their ages:-**

**Ash - 21**

**May - 19**

**Brock - 27**

**Misty - 23**

**Dawn - 16**

**Max - 16**

**Iris - 15**

**Cilan - 25**

**I'll try to make battles and contest as entertaining as I can but it's hard to put what I see in my head onto the page.**

* * *

Champion of Champions

Chapter 1

A New Beginning

The sun rose over Pallet Town and a 21 year old Pokémon Trainer by the name of Ash Ketchum was woken by the crowing of a Dodrio. It had been 3 years since he had taken part in a Pokémon League and now he was ready to take on the biggest challenge he had ever set himself. To become the winner of the League in every region he had visited, his home region of Kanto, its neighbour Johto, the more tropical Hoenn, the mountainous Sinnoh and far off Unova. Lifting his head from the pillow he looked at his best friend and first Pokémon sleeping on his chest.

"Time to wake up buddy. Todays the day we start travelling again." He said to the electric mouse. Pikachu slowly opened his eyes looking at his trainer

"Pika Pika Chu Pi" he squeaked.

"That's right we're going to win the Indigo League first then all of the others." Pikachu jumped off Ash's chest letting him get out of bed so he could get ready for their journey.

* * *

After coming 2nd in the Unova League Ash decided to stay at home for a while, be with his Pokémon to strengthen his bonds with them and to get stronger together. He also revisited places in each region to do some intense training in challenging climates, blistering deserts, snowy mountains, volcanos, jungles and every other type of terrain he could think of. During his training Ash had travelled alone and although he had talked to all of his friends on the phone he hadn't seen them personally since he arrived home from Unova.

During his travels over those 3 years he had evolved all of his Pokémon except Pikachu and one other that he only recently received, reunited with some he hadn't seen in a long time and even caught some Pokémon he had met during his first adventures. Taking the advice that Don George of Nacrene City had given him to heart Ash had trained alongside his Pokémon he had become stronger and faster then he used to be by training this way.

* * *

Coming out of the bathroom it was easy to see that Ash's appearance had changed he was now muscular, slightly tanned and he held himself with more confidence. Even though he had changed he also stayed the same, he still had the same warm caring brown eyes he always had and he still possessed the untameable mess of raven hair which he kept under his hat. Ash was wearing a black t-shirt, blue jeans, a blue jacket and black trainers which had blue stitching. His hat was the one that he wore whilst he had travelled round Hoenn and the Battle Frontier. Picking up Pikachu Ash left his room and went down stairs to have some breakfast.

Heading into the kitchen Ash saw his mother, Delia Ketchum, standing at the counter preparing food for her son. She looked no different than when he left home for the first time 11 years ago. Seeing Ash coming into the kitchen she said "Sit down Ashy I've nearly finished your breakfast."

"Okay mom" he replied sitting at the table Pikachu leaving his shoulder to reach for a bottle of ketchup that sat on the table. Carrying a plate stacked high with pancakes which were smothered in thick syrup and a glass of cold milk Mrs Ketchum placed them in front of Ash with a smile on her face. "You're going on a long journey son eat up you'll need your strength." The smile on her face dimmed slightly with those words, although she happily supported her son's dreams it still made her sad to see him leave. She sat down opposite Ash and ate the smaller stack of pancakes that she had made for herself.

Finishing his breakfast and seeing that Pikachu had polished off the bottle of ketchup Ash stood up collected his and his mother's plates putting them into the sink and started to wash them "There's no need to do that dear I'll do it." said Delia as she started to get out of her chair. "No mom let me do them it won't take long and it's only fair you made the pancakes so I should clean up." Ash said looking over his shoulder. Hearing this Delia sat back down knowing that she wouldn't be able to stop him, he had inherited her stubborn streak. While Ash was washing the dishes she asked "Which Pokémon are you going to take with you?" Thinking for a minute Ash finally said "Pikachu obviously. I'll keep rotating my team so that everyone will be with me at some point and I'll call on specific ones when I'm going for a badge." he paused for a few minutes before continuing "I'll take Staraptor, Typhlosion, Sceptile, Blastoise and Krookodile to begin with so I've got a good mix that can take on any challenge we might encounter."

Delia nodded saying "As long as you're safe and remember to change your underwear everyday I'm happy."

"Come on mom do you have to say that every time I leave. It's not like I'll forget or anything." Ash said face palming. After drying and putting away the dishes Ash and his mother left the kitchen entering the sitting room. Reaching down to pick up his green bag Pikachu ran up his arm taking its place on his shoulder. Kissing his mother goodbye Ash said "Bye mom, I love you and I'll call when I get to Viridian City. Where's Mimey?" "He's in the garden you'll see him on your way to Professor Oak's Lab. I love you too have a safe journey and look after each other." Delia said scratching Pikachu behind the ear.

Shouldering his pack Ash opened the front door and took the first step of his new journey. Mimey was sweeping the path that led to the garden gate. Mimey was a Mr Mime that lived with Delia and helped around the house doing chores. Mimey would get angry if anyone else tried to do the chores as Brock found out a few years ago when Mimey used Psychic to send Brock out of an open window when he picked up a broom.

"Bye Mimey me and Pikachu are going now so we probably won't see you for a while. Take care of yourself and look after mom for me ok." Ash said bidding him goodbye.

"Mime Mime Mr Mime Mime Mr Mime" replied the barrier Pokémon.

"Ok I'll look after myself and Pikachu and I'll call regularly so mom doesn't worry"

Ash walked down the path and closed the gate behind him taking one last look at his home seeing his mother standing at the door smiling at him, waving goodbye with Mimey stood next to her doing the same. Smiling back both Ash and Pikachu waved as they made their way to Professor Oak's Lab to collect his Pokémon.

* * *

A few minutes later they arrived at the gate leading to the driveway of the Professors lab. It was a strange looking building with its windmill forever spinning. Opening the gate Ash walked up the hill and knocked on the door, as the door opened Ash didn't have a chance to say anything as a dark shape fell on top of him. It was his overly friendly Pokémon Muk, who as always smothers people when he wants to hug them. "Muk Muk Muk Muuuuk" the poison type said happily. Just when Ash thought his new journey was ending he heard a familiar voice saying "Muk why have you opened the front door" it was Tracy, the Pokémon watcher that Ash and Misty met when they went to the Orange Islands. Tracy saw Pikachu struggling to move Muk and realised that Ash must be underneath he ran to get Muk's Pokéball then ran back to the Pokémon and returned him. Ash sat up gasping for air "Thanks Tracy I've got to do something about that."

"Muk just got overexcited seeing you again, it has been a while since you last saw him." Tracy explained.

"I know but still I'll try and get him to control himself and calm down in future." Ash panted still getting his breath back.

"So" Tracy asked helping Ash to his feet with Pikachu jumping back to Ash's shoulder "What can I do for you today?"

"I'm starting to travel again, I've come to pick up some of my Pokémon. I'll keep changing my team but for now can I get Staraptor, Typhlosion, Sceptile, Blastoise and Krookodile, I wanted a good mixture of types so I'm ready for anything."

"Sure thing Ash just give me a couple of minutes to get them. Professor Oak's in his study why don't you go talk to him while I get your Pokémon."

"Ok see you in there then." Ash said as Tracy went outside to get his team.

Entering Professor Oak's study Ash saw the man who gave him Pikachu sitting in an arm chair reading a journal and making notes on a pad of paper, Professor Samuel Oak the man who gave each new trainer in Pallet Town their first pokemon. The study had an enormous bookcase filled with journals, magazines, files and every other kind of research material that there could be, a small table sat next to the armchair with a cup of coffee resting on it, a small computer sat in the corner with a screen saver playing on its screen it showed a sequence of Pokémon evolving.

Looking up when he heard the door opening the Professor smiled seeing Ash enter the room. "Ah Ash what are you doing here this early?" he asked politely. "I'm going to challenge the Indigo League again and I'm starting today. Tracy has just gone to get some of my Pokémon for me and said to meet him in here." Ash replied.

"If you're going on a journey I've got something you'll need" Oak said rising from his chair putting down his journal and pad on the nearby table. Walking over to the computer he entered a password and clicked something on screen. From where he was standing Ash couldn't see what the Professor was doing. A red rectangle ejected from the computer picking it up Oak turned back to Ash presenting him with a new Pokédex which looked exactly like his original one. "This is a new updated Pokédex it contains all the Pokémon from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh and Unova including the ones only mentioned in myths and legends."

"Thank you Professor this will be really helpful" Ash said gratefully. While the Professor talked with Ash about what he had planned, Tracy came into the room holding 5 Pokéballs "Here are your Pokémon Ash, good luck and if you need any of your other Pokémon just let me know."

"Thanks Tracy I'll call when I reach Viridian City and keep both of you updated on how I'm doing." Ash said "Hey Tracy do you want to come with me?"

"Thanks for the offer Ash but I think I'll stay here and help look after the Pokémon and learn more from Professor Oak so I can become a better Pokémon Watcher."

Ash simply smiled and nodded he understood that Tracy's dream was here in Pallet Town studying with Professor Oak. Fastening his Pokéballs to his belt he once again thanked both the Professor and Tracy as they walked back to the door. Waving as he left Ash thought to himself _next time I'm home I might be the champion of the Indigo League._

* * *

Walking on to Route 1 Ash opened his bag to look for something had had brought with him just for this moment in time. When he felt his hand close around it he smiled _It's finally time _he thought putting his bag back on his shoulder he whistled as loud as he could. After a few seconds a large shadow passed over Ash and Pikachu "Here he is Pikachu, time for him to come home." The Pokémon casting the shadow slowly spiralled lower and lower until a majestic bird landed in front of them. "Hi Pidgeot"

Ash had visited his Pidgeot every time he had come home from a journey and had trained with him over the last 3 years. The flock of Pidgey and Pidgeotto that Pidgeot had been protecting now had a couple of strong Pidgeot to protect it so the last time Ash had trained with him Ash asked if he would come back to the team and Pidgeot had agreed. The item that Ash pulled from his was Pidgeot's Pokéball. Ash had not released Pidgeot when leaving Kanto for the Orange Islands only letting him out of his Pokéball to defend the flock.

"You ready?" Ash asked

"Pid" Pidgeot chirped.

"Ok then Pidgeot return" A beam of red light came from the Pokéball hitting the bird Pokémon covering him in red light and pulling him into ball. The centre of the Pokéball was lit with a red dot, shrinking the ball Ash put it back in his bag intending to send it to Professor Oak when he got to Viridian City.

"Hey" A voice called out "I was going to capture that Pidgeot."

"You can't do that Pidgeot is one of my Pokémon has been for years" Ash said searching for the voice.

"I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!" the voice said coming from amongst the trees, turning to find the voice Ash saw a young girl who looked to be 15. She had shoulder length blonde hair, blue eyes and a mischievous smile, she wore a yellow knee length dress and white buckled shoes.

"I'm Melinda from Neon Town" the girl said

"My name is Ash and I never turn down a battle!"

"How about we make it a three on three battle? Can I battle your Pidgeot first?" Melinda asked.

"A three on three battle sounds great but Pidgeot's Pokéball is locked I've already got six Pokémon with me so I can't use him sorry." Ash explained.

"Okay then I'll start. Go Furret!" She cried releasing the long body Pokémon from its Pokéball.

"Furrrett" it purred landing on the ground.

Grabbing a Pokéball from his belt Ash calmly called with a smile forming on his face "Okay then I choose you Staraptor" freeing his faithful predator Pokémon.

"Starr" it sang soaring into the air.

"You can have the first move." Ash called over to Melinda.

"Well aren't you a gentleman." Melinda said with a wink.

"Furret use Blizzard" her Pokémon raising onto its rear legs and took a deep breath before opening its mouth to breath out an icy barrage towards the flying type.

"Staraptor use Heat Wave to counter." The bird Pokémon closed his wings over his chest and as they started to glow orange he spread them wide releasing a large amount of warm air which cut through the Blizzard. Furret took the Heat Wave head on and even though it was weakened by the Blizzard the damage caused by the attack was still enough to force Furret back a couple of feet.

"Now Staraptor use Aerial Ace to add power to Steel Wing." Rising into the air Staraptor suddenly swooped at high speed closing the distance between itself and Furret while its wings took on a metallic sheen.

"Furret use Quick Attack to dodge" Melinda said, worry evident in her voice. Furret barely managed to get out of the way in time as Staraptor wing skimmed its side.

"Staraptor keep it up" The predator Pokémon rose sharply into the air before turning and flying straight for Furret once more. This bizarre dance continued for a few minutes before Ash cried out "Use Quick Attack for more speed"

"Furret look out" cried Melinda but it was too late and Staraptor's wing slammed into Furret's midsection carrying it into the air.

"Furret use Defence Curl to hang on then use Thunderbolt" Melinda called. Furret curled its body around Staraptor's wing and electricity started to crackle around its body as it charged the attack.

"Staraptor shake Furret off" Ash cried desperately. With a cry of acknowledgement Staraptor started to pull off some of the most astonishing aerial manoeuvres that had ever been seen. The electricity around Furret stopped and it used all of its energy trying to hold on to Staraptor until after a particularly sharp banking turn Furret lost its grip on Staraptor's wing and slipped falling to the ground.

"Now use Steel Wing" Staraptor spiralled around and slammed into Furret causing the long body Pokémon to bend around its opponent's wing. This attack ended the battle knocking Furret out. It was only then that Ash realised how high above the ground the Pokémon where. Furret fell from Staraptor's wing and started to plummet to the ground. Seeing Melinda's Pokémon in trouble and the fear on her face Ash knew he had to help Furret.

"Staraptor catch Furret" Ash instructed. Turning quickly Staraptor folded his wings to his sides diving down at high speed soon catching up with Furret and overtaking before opening his wings wide to slow his descent when feeling Furret land on his back.

"Good work Staraptor" Ash said thanking his trusty Pokémon lifting Furret from Staraptor's back. Taking Furret in his arms Ash walked over to Melinda with an ashamed look on his face. Placing Furret in Melinda's arms Ash backed up a few paces and stroked Staraptor's neck. He turned to look at his opponent.

"Sorry about that, I got kinda carrying away." Ash said apologetically rubbing the back of his head. "Do you want to continue?"

"Of course I'm going to win." Melinda replied smiling putting Furret back in its Pokéball. "Now are you sticking with Staraptor or are you going to switch Pokémon?"

"Staraptor return" Ash said sending his bird Pokémon back into its Pokéball whilst unclipping another from his belt. "It's been a while since my Pokémon have battled so I'll switch Staraptor for Krookodile I choose you."

Placing Staraptor's ball back on his belt Ash threw Krookodile's ball high into the air. The ball opened and in a flash of white light a tall terracotta crocodile appeared with black stripes covering its body and on its snout sat a pair of sunglasses.

"Krookodile" it roared.

"What type of Pokémon is that?" Melinda asked quizzically. Taking out her Pokédex she scanned Krookodile.

"_Krookodile, The intimidation Pokémon. It can expand the focus of its eyes enabling it to over great distances. Its jaws are so powerful it can demolish an automobile. Once they have their prey they never let go."_

Putting away her Pokédex Melinda looked at Krookodile with an expression that was equal parts awe and fear at the large fierce Pokémon that stood before her waiting to battle her. "Where did you get a Pokémon like that?" she asked Ash.

"I got Krookodile a few years ago when I travelled around Unova." He replied.

"Okay then let's see how tough he is. Go Flygon" Melinda called releasing the mystic Pokémon.

"Krookodile use Dragon Claw." Light blue energy glowed in Krookodile's claws and he charged towards Flygon. Flygon flapped its wings rising into the air dodging the attack "Flygon attack with Dragon Tail" Melinda called. Flygon's tail glowed the same light blue that had been on Krookodile's claws and whipped it towards the dark and ground type Pokémon.

"Dodge it with Dig," Krookodile dive into the ground easily avoiding Flygon's attack.

"Keep away from the ground Flygon and be ready to use Dragon Pulse." Flygon nodded its head and hovered above the battlefield waiting for Krookodile to surface. A sphere of turquoise energy formed in Flygon's mouth ready to be fired when Krookodile surfaced. Knowing that he was in trouble if Krookodile was hit by that attack, Ash did what he always did, acting on instinct he decided to use the first idea that came into his head.

"Krookodile used Stone Edge" Ash shouted so his Pokémon could hear him while it was underground. Ash wasn't sure if Krookodile had heard him until the ground started to shake and crack, white light shining from the cracks just before a multitude of razor sharp stones erupted from the ground shooting directly at Flygon. The mystic Pokémon and its trainer were so shocked at Ash's tactics that they couldn't react in time and Stone Edge pounded into Flygon's body causing him to fall to the ground.

"Now finish this with Aqua Tail." Ash called out to Krookodile.

"WHAT!" cried Melinda as she watched rings of water surround Krookodile's tail as it ran it to the falling Flygon.

"Flygon counter with Iron Tail."

Flygon's eyes snapped open and its tail took on a metallic sheen as it spun in the air. The two Pokémon's tails crashed together, the energy from the collision produced a cloud of smoke. Both trainers looked on waiting for the smoke to clear unsure whether their Pokémon still stood or not. The seconds they waited seemed like hours, Ash was about to call Staraptor out to blow away the smoke when the wind shifted dissipating the smoke. Both Krookodile and Flygon still stood their tails pushing against each other, their eyes locked together filled with respect for each other's strength. Summoning his power and with an almighty thrust of his tail Krookodile threw Flygon back, taking this as the perfect opportunity Ash called out to his Pokémon.

"Krookodile quickly use Dragon Claw." Light blue energy filling his claws once more as Krookodile rushed towards Flygon closing the distance between them in seconds.

"Flygon get out of there" cried Melinda but Flygon was too tired to dodge as Krookodile slashed Flygon with his claws.

"Fllllyyyy" cried the dragon type as the super effective knocked it out.

"KROOKODILE" howled the intimidation Pokémon in victory.

"Your tougher than I thought" Melinda told Ash as they returned their Pokémon "Still I've got one Pokémon left and he's my strongest, so how about you use your strongest Pokémon as well."

"Fine by me" Ash replied "Come on Pikachu let's do this." Pikachu jumped down from his place on Ash's shoulder. Krookodile gave Pikachu a nod before returning to his Pokéball.

"Pika" stated the electric type.

"So Pikachu's your strongest Pokémon I wouldn't have thought so."

"There's more to Pikachu than you can imagine."

"We'll see. Now go Charizard!"

Melinda threw a Pokéball which opened in mid-air releasing a large orange dragon-like Pokémon with a pair of wings on its back and a long tail which had a ball of fire sitting on the end. The fire on its tail was a rich red in colour and significant in size showing that this Charizard was very strong.

"That's a powerful Charizard you've got there. It's nearly as big as mine." Ash said.

"You've got a Charizard?" asked Melinda.

"Yeah, He's training at the Charific Valley in Johto. Now let's start this battle. Pikachu use Quick Attack."

"Pika" Pikachu shot forwards at high speed heading straight for Charizard.

"Charizard Dodge it and use Flamethrower." With a mighty flap of its wings Charizard took to the air dodging the Quick Attack before opening its mouth and launched an immense pillar of fire at the electric type.

"Look out Pikachu get out of the way!" Ash shouted to his best friend.

Pikachu twisted to the side as he rolled out of the way but not fast enough because the Flamethrower grazed his side giving him a nasty burn.

"Now Charizard use Air Slash then get close and use Fire Punch." Charizard's wings glowed light blue and as they were flapped multiple saw-like blades were fired towards Pikachu. A small smile appeared on Ash's lips as an idea came into his head.

"Counter Shield" He called.

"Counter what?" said a confused Melinda.

Pikachu nodded to his trainer as he started to spin on his back whilst using Thunderbolt. The combination of these two things created a spinning barrier of electricity that charged the Air Slash and reflected it back towards the surprised Charizard.

The repelled Air Slash charged with a Thunderbolt hit Charizard directly in the chest causing a large amount of damage.

"Now Pikachu use Thunderbolt."

"PiiikaaCHUU" cried the small electric mouse as he threw a massive bolt of electricity at the stricken fire-flying type. Charizard bellowed in pain as it was hit by the super effective attack.

"Keep it up Pikachu." Ash called to his first Pokémon.

"Charizard use Flare Blitz to break out of it." commanded Melinda.

With an intense roar Charizard's body became enveloped in flames breaking the Thunderbolt, turning in the air Charizard roared once more then charged towards Pikachu.

"Pikachu use Volt Tackle."

"Pika Pika Pika Pika PIKA!" exclaimed Pikachu as he ran towards Charizard his body surrounded by golden electricity. As the two Pokémon collided a mass of smoke blanketed the battle field. Pikachu and Charizard were both thrown back by the power of their impact, both Pokémon were panting heavily having taken significant damage.

"Charizard use Flamethrower."

"Block it with Thunderbolt."

"Now Pikachu use Thunder Wave." A weak electric attack was sent towards Charizard.

"Charizard dodge it and use DragonBreath." Charizard soared high above the Thunder Wave and fired a green blast of air towards Pikachu.

"Look out Pikachu use Quick Attack to dodge and counter with Electro Ball"

"Pika pika pika chupi!" exclaimed Pikachu as sparks came off of his body as he charged up a ball of electricity at the tip of his tail before flipping forwards launching the ball at Charizard.

The Electro Ball flew at high speed towards Melinda's Pokémon and before she could call out a counter or warning it  
impacted with the fire type's chest causing Charizard to fall towards the ground.

"Now Pikachu let's finish this use Iron Volt!"

"Charizard please wake up and use Air Slash." Melinda pleaded to her Pokémon worried about what Ash's last command could possibly mean.

Pikachu's tail took on a metallic sheen and he ran towards the falling Charizard with his body sparking as electricity covered him.

"Charizard, Please wake up" cried Melinda. Hearing the fear in Melinda's voice Ash was about to call off his attack when he saw Charizard's eyes shoot open and his wings glow blue once more as the air formed razors which flew towards Pikachu.

"Pikachu dodge it and keep going." Easily evading the blades Pikachu continued running at Charizard before jumping and slamming his tail, charged with the electrical energy that surrounded his body, into the Kanto fire type starter. Landing on the ground with the electricity dispersing from his body Pikachu stood before the fire type breathing deeply as Charizard toppled over with spirals in its eyes.

"Charizard thank you. You did really well I'm proud of you, now get some rest return." said Melinda sadly.

"That was a great battle." Ash said as he walked towards Melinda with his hand outstretched to shake hers.

"What do you mean? You beat me without losing a single Pokémon. How was it a great battle? I just came in the top four of the Hoenn League how could I lose like that?" Melinda cried nearly in tears.

"Calm down, take a deep breath." Ash said trying to soothe Melinda's grief. "Every battle is different, the outcome is always changing. If we had another battle I might lose and you'd win without losing any Pokémon." Putting an arm around her shoulder Ash held her till she had calmed down. Taking his arm away he looked at Melinda smiling and holding out his hand. Smiling back Melinda shook Ash's hand whilst wiping away a few tears before saying "Thanks for that. How did you get so strong?"

"Since I started I've competed in a lot of leagues and the Kanto Battle frontier placing higher in each league but I didn't win any so after competing in Unova I decided to spend some time with my Pokémon training and strengthening the bonds between us. Now I'm ready to start challenging gyms and the leagues again starting here in Kanto."

"Hang on what did you say your name was?" Melinda asked an idea forming in her mind of who her opponent might be.

"Ash, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town." Ash told her.

A look of shock and awe appeared on Melinda's face upon hearing Ash's full name. She had heard of Ash's achievements and seen his battles during his Pokémon league challenges when they had been televised. She had been disappointed when Ash's name hadn't appeared in any Pokémon competitions for the last 3 years (She's a bit of a fan.). Whilst she was traveling on her own Pokémon journey she had asked gym leaders if they knew why Ash had disappeared but they didn't, so she had made the decision to travel to Pallet Town to try and find Ash herself. Now she had not only found Ash she had also battled him without knowing it.

Silence fell between the two trainers as Melinda realised that she had the answer she was looking for. Ash just looked at the young trainer before him then looked to Pikachu who was sitting on Ash's shoulder once more. Ash scratched the back of his head unsure why Melinda had gone so quiet and just stared at him. As he was about to wave him hand in front of her face she said "I've followed your training career you finished in the top 16 during the Indigo League, top 8 during the Silver Conference, top 8 again in Hoenn, top 4 in Sinnoh and you came second in Unova. When you were in the Orange Islands you defeated Drake and won the Orange League, you also conquered the Kanto Battle Frontier." Melinda's were eyes shining while she said all of this. Ash getting more and more nervous as the girl in front of him listed his accomplishments. His face getting steadily redder and backing away as Melinda slowly walked towards him.

_I'm glad she doesn't know about my adventures with the legendary Pokémon_ thought Ash _or she'd be all over me._

"Why do you know so much about me?" Ash asked Melinda hoping to snap her out of her current state of mind.

Ash's question had its desired effect as Melinda stopped and thought about how to answer Ash's question without seeming crazy. After a few second she had worked out what to say.

"I've watched the Pokémon Leagues for years and you kept appearing and I suppose that you could say I'm a fan."

"Okay then." Ash said still slightly unnerved by Melinda's knowledge. After how he had won their battle Ash felt a little bad for winning so completely, he wanted to make it up to Melinda

"I'm heading to Viridian City if you want to come with me." Ash continued.

"Will you tell me how you got so strong?" Melinda pleaded.

"I'll only tell you a little bit because how I trained my Pokémon is private. I want to keep my training techniques between me and my Pokémon." Ash said.

"Okay" Melinda said sounding disappointed. As both she and Ash walked down route 1 towards Viridian City.

"What was that last attack you called out?" Melinda asked.

"That's something I've been doing with my Pokémon teaching them to combine moves together to make stronger ones. Iron Volt in a combination of Iron Tail and Volt Tackle." Ash explained.

"What other combos have you taught your Pokémon?"

"Now that would be telling" Ash said with a grin.

"What about that other one ... Counter Shield?" She asked

"I came up with that in Sinnoh as away of stopping Hypnosis and Fantina, the gym leader of Hearthome City was the person who came up with the name" Ash replied.

* * *

Unknown to the two trainers they were being watched by a familiar trio. Over the 3 years that Ash had been training Team Rocket had left him alone and they had been going on missions for Giovanni. They had completed each mission given to them and they had risen up the ranks, the latest mission that had been assigned was to steal all of the Pokémon from Professor Oak's Laboratory. On their way to Pallet Town they had heard a Pokémon battle and Jessie had decided to steal the Pokémon from the battling trainers but when they recognised Ash as one of the trainers and seeing how much stronger he had become they just stayed standing in the shadows shocked at the strength of the 'twerp'. Without saying a word the Jessie and James agreed to continue on their endless quest of trying to steal Pikachu, Meowth on the other hand had had enough of blasting off and just wanted to complete the mission and get back to base.

"Come on use two let's just rob de lab and get back to base. We'll never get dat Pikachu." Meowth said to his team mates. Jessie and James looked at the cat Pokémon in astonishment, it was usually Meowth that came up with the ideas on how to get Pikachu.

"You want us to give up? We're stronger now we can get that Pikachu no problem." Jessie insisted grasping Meowth's shoulder and raising him to eye level fury burning in her eyes at his words.

"Yeah we should give up cause no matter how strong we are the twerp and his Pikachu will always be stronger. We'll just keep getting blasted off every time like we always have and I'm sick of it." Meowth replied.

"I have to say Meowth has a point." James said entering the conversation.

"WHAT!" Jessie roared turning her angry gaze to James.

"I said Meowth has a point I didn't say it was a good one" James nervously replied, terrified under Jessie's venomous glare. Slightly satisfied by James words Jessie turned her attention back to the Pokémon in her hands. Like James Meowth always got scared when Jessie was got this angry but he held his ground.

"Come on use two I know dat you've had enough of being blasted off same as me. And if you want Pikachu you can think up ideas and build the machines on your own." Meowth said

Looking at his friend James reflected on how much Meowth had changed during the past few years. It had started whilst they had been in Unova for the boss and after the incident at the Abyssal Ruins when they returned to Kanto Meowth had continued to change although had hid it Jessie and James had known him for years so they noticed what other people would miss. The fake enthusiasm, the pride that he had in his machines amongst other small things but they all added up to something that worried Jessie and James, they had tried to cheer Meowth up to get him back into the Team Rocket spirit but nothing they did had any effect.

The three were about to continue their conversation when they heard Ash's voice call out "Pikachu where are you buddy?"

"Pika" came the reply it sounded close to where Team Rocket where hiding. Looking away from each other and turning their gaze to the ground in front of them they saw a familiar electric type Pokémon staring at them with sparks coming from his cheeks. They just had enough time to think _uh-oh_ before they heard an all too familiar cry of power from Pikachu "PiiikaaaCHUUU" and they felt thousands of volts surge through their bodies before the inevitable explosion followed by their well-known saying "Looks like Team Rocket is blasting off again" as they soared high into the sky and fading from sight. Just as they were leaving Pikachu's hearing range Meowth said to his team mates

"So still think we can get him?"

* * *

Pikachu ran back to Ash jumping onto his shoulder with a squeak of happiness. Ash looked to his best friend saying "Was that what I think it was?" Pikachu nodded in confirmation "They couldn't let me have one day without trying could they" Ash muttered to himself.

Melinda looked at him "What was that about? And what was that noise?" she asked.

"It's not important now let's get to Viridian City before it gets dark." Ash said as he started walking again. Melinda just shrugged her shoulders and followed asking Ash questions about how he had trained.

* * *

After a few hours they arrived at the outskirts of Viridian City, Melinda was annoyed as Ash hadn't given her any clear idea of how he had trained his Pokémon all he had said was that 'he and his Pokémon were closer and stronger than ever because of their training and now it wasn't a matter of battling side by side they battled together' _whatever that means_ thought Melinda. Entering the city Ash heard a woman's voice calling out Melinda's name, looking for the source he saw a tall woman who looked to be about 25 years old, she had blonde hair that fell to the middle of her back, she had blue eyes, which carried a worried look, and she was wearing a black jacket over a brown t-shirt, blue jeans and black trainers. Seeing the resemblance between Melinda and this woman Ash turned to Melinda nodded his head towards the worried woman who stood further down the road.

"It looks like someone is worried about you." He said to his young friend. Looking in the direction that Ash had nodded Melinda saw the woman and ran towards her, Ash walked after her keep in his distance not wanting to interrupt the reunion, as she got closer to the woman she shouted "Olivia!" Hearing Melinda's voice a smile broke out on the woman's face "Melinda there you are I've been worried sick. Where have you been? Did anything happen to you?"

"I'm fine I was on my way to Pallet Town." Melinda told the woman. Just as the woman was about to ask Melinda more questions she noticed Ash standing off to the side.

"Can I help you?" asked the woman. Before Ash could reply Melinda jumped in saying "This is Ash Ketchum. I had a Pokémon battle with him."

"So this is Ash Ketchum" said the woman looking Ash up and down liking what she saw blushing slightly. "This was the reason you went to Pallet Town? I can understand why now." She said to Melinda. Ash just stood there scratching his head not understanding what she had just said. The woman held her hand out and said "Thank you for finding by sister I'm Olivia. Can I ask how the battle went?"

"It's nice to meet you Olivia. I'm Ash and this is Pikachu." Ash said shaking her hand he was about to answer her question but Melinda jumped in saying "It was a three on three battle and I lost. Ash didn't lose any of his Pokémon they're really strong."

"Well you'll just have to train harder won't you" said Olivia looking at her little sister. "Come on let's get you home Mom and Dad are worried about you they nearly called Officer Jenny."

"Okay" said Melinda looking a little ashamed at making her family worry like that. "Bye Ash I hope we can battle again soon and I'll win next time."

Laughing at this Ash put a hand on Melinda's shoulder before saying "I'll hold you to that and think about what I said if you work that out then you'll get stronger and closer to you Pokémon." And with that Melinda smiled at him spun on her heels and ran down the road on her way home.

"What did you say to her?" Olivia asked before she went after her sister.

"Why don't you ask her it might help her figure it out?" Ash said mysteriously.

"Okay. Thanks again for looking after her. Bye Ash. Bye Pikachu." Olivia said giving him one last look over before turning to follow her sister.

Ash made his way to the Pokémon Centre to heal his Pokémon and register for the Indigo League. On the way he looked at Pikachu and asked "Why did Olivia keep looking at me like that?" while scratching his head.

"Pikapi Pika Pikachu" said the electric type closing his eyes and shaking his head slightly. Similar things had happened while they had been training girls had started to notice Ash and he remained oblivious. As they entered the Pokémon Centre Pikachu noticed a familiar scent, jumping off of Ash's shoulder he ran off. Ash ran after Pikachu before coming to a stop and saw Pikachu sitting on the shoulder of a girl rubbing his cheek on hers. The girl had shoulder length brown hair which looked like an upside down V and a figure that hourglasses could only dream of. She wore a blue jacket, black bike shorts and had a yellow bag around her waist.

"Well you're a friendly one aren't you." Said the girl and Ash instantly recognised it.

"Well you two are friends." Ash said walking up to the girl. Turning round the girl saw Ash and smiled. Standing in front of him was the girl that he had met and mentored while in Hoenn. The girl that was afraid of Pokémon and only became a trainer so she could travel, the girl know as May Maple.

May stood there looking at Ash not recognising him at first as he had changed a lot he now stood tall and muscular, his face more rugged and handsome from the last time she had seen him. Although she wouldn't say it out loud she liked how Ash looked now and found herself feeling attracted to him in a way she hadn't felt before. The same thoughts were happening in Ash's mind looking in May's blue eyes he realised that he hadn't noticed before how beautiful they were and how May had grown from a pretty girl to a gorgeous woman.

* * *

"I thought I this Pikachu was familiar." May said as she enveloped Ash in a big hug.

"What are you doing here May." Ash said returning the hug smiling.

"I'm competing in the Kanto Grand Festival." She said breaking the hug before blushing and adding shyly "Plus I was on my way to see you I've got a favour to ask you."

"May you're my best friend I'm happy to help you in any way I can. What's the problem?"

They walked to an empty couch and sat down. May was quiet for a minute while she thought about how to phrase the favour she was about to ask stroking Pikachu who was sitting in her lap. Taking a deep breath she started to explain "For the past year or so Drew has kept bothering me asking me out on dates trying to give me gifts, I don't like him that way I've told him that but he won't listen so about a week ago he asked me why I won't go out with him." May paused and looked Ash in the eyes before she continued as she knew a wrong word and this could go really badly. "I told him that I already had a boyfriend, he asked me who it was I panicked, I couldn't think any names and before I could stop myself I don't know why but your name came out of my mouth. Ash I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend so that Drew will leave me alone. Please." May looked at the floor after saying this. Ash just stared at her in confusion before saying "Of course I'm your friend. You don't need to ask me to pretend" not comprehending what May was asking him to do. May looked at her friend noticing that although his appearance had changed he was still as dense as ever.

"I don't mean that Ash. I mean I need you to pretend that we are a couple. A romantic couple." May said spelling it out for him. A confused look formed on Ash's face before it turned to shock as he understood exactly what May was asking.

Ash was silent for a couple of minutes while he tried to get his head around how to deal with the situation. May was getting scared that she had ruined her friendship with Ash, as she was about to tell him to forget it that she'd deal with Drew, Ash looked her in the eye a slight blush on his face and said "May, your my friend and I want to help you but" Ash paused for a few seconds and May feared the worst "I don't know anything about being a couple so you'll have to tell me what I need to do to help you." Ash finished smiling as he agreed to May's favour. Mays fears evaporated as quickly as they had emerged.

"Oh thank you Ash" May said hugging him again her heart fluttering for a reason that she couldn't work out properly but had a suspicion of what if might be. "How can I thank you?"

"May you don't need to do anything to thank me but I've got a question for you." Ash said breaking the hug as a strange new feeling started to burn in his chest.

"What is it?"

"I'm going to compete in the Indigo League again. Do you want to travel with me again like we used to?"

"Of course I will it'll be fun. Now let's go to the counter and get registered."

"Okay May I need to get my Pokémon healed as well I had a battle on my way here."

* * *

After registering for their Pokédex and contest card with Nurse Joy they handed their Pokémon in to be healed and went to the cafeteria to catch up on what had happened since they had last seen each other although they had talked on the phone they still went over everything that had happened. Ash told May how he had travelled and trained all over the regions and how he had asked certain trainers if they could tutor him. When May asked who the trainers were Ash wouldn't tell her saying she'd find out eventually. May revealed to Ash how she had placed second in the last Grand Festival only losing by a couple of points to Solidad and had beaten Drew in the semi-finals easily. When Ash asked how her family was May told him that her parents were fine and Max was starting his journey in Sinnoh. They traded stories and reminisced on their journey together until late in the evening. Deciding it was late enough they went to Nurse Joy to ask for two rooms so they could spend the night.

"I'm sorry to tell you but we only have one room left" Nurse Joy told them.

"That's okay we'll share" said Ash taking the key from the nurse.

When they opened the door to the room Ash said that he would sleep on the floor and May could have the bed. May tried to argue the point but Ash wouldn't budge so she thanked him reflecting on how much of a gentleman Ash had become, he had bought the food in the cafeteria and pulled her chair out for her.

The room had a single bed, a desk and chair, a bedside cabinet and a small bathroom. Walking into the room May put her bag on the bed when she heard something behind her, she turned round and saw that Ash was getting changed in the middle of the room. His t-shirt was draped over a chair and May could see exactly how muscular Ash had become, May stared for a few seconds before blushing and turning away embarrassed that she had liked what she had seen, she went into her bag to get her pyjamas out and went to the bathroom to get changed thankful that Ash didn't see her looking at him. When she had gotten changed and prepared herself to go to sleep she exited the bathroom and saw that Ash had unrolled his sleeping bag on the floor and was stroking Pikachu while he slept. May took Pikachu from Ash so that he could use the bathroom, while she stroked Pikachu May though about what she'd have to tell Ash about being a couple. After Ash came out of the bathroom he took Pikachu back from May so she could get into bed.

"Good night Ash"

"Good night May"

And with that they lay-down and went to sleep thinking about what they had felt earlier.

* * *

Waking up the next morning they got changed had breakfast and collected their Pokémon. Before leaving the Pokémon Centre Ash sent Pidgeot to Professor Oak's lab and asked him to let his mother know that he was okay and he hadn't called her yesterday as he met May and lost track of time. Hearing that May was there Prof Oak asked her how her Pokémon were May replied that they were doing great. After ending the call they left the Pokémon Centre and headed out of the city towards Viridian Forest. They walked in silence for a minute before Ash asked "What do I need to do to be a boyfriend?"

"Well I think we need to have a backstory in case Drew asks us and questions like how we got together, where our first date was." May replied. "I was thinking that you were travelling a few months ago you came to Hoenn and you had asked me to help you train." Ash nodded "So while we were training we disturbed a group of Shroomish and they attacked us with Poison Powder, you pushed me out of the way and got took the full brunt of it. I used Blaziken to drive them away then Blaziken carried you to the Pokémon Centre and when you recovered I asked you why you knocked be out of the way. You said that you didn't want me to be hurt because you like me and then you asked me to go out on a date." Ash looked surprised at his pretend forwardness.

"Okay" He said "I know our 'history' but what do I have to do?"

"You need to keep acting like yourself but you need to do little romantic things like hold my hand, put your arm around me, give me flowers but not roses. You only need to do things like that if Drew's around, the rest of the time you don't have to do anything like that." May told him.

"May you know what I'm like if I don't do it all the time I won't remember to do it when I need to." Ash said taking May's hand in his own, his heart rate increasing for reasons that he didn't understand. May turned her face so Ash couldn't see the deep blush on her cheeks.

Ash continued to ask May about what a boyfriend would do in various situations and May answered them as well as she could until they came to the entrance of Viridian Forest.

* * *

And so holding hands the two friends entered the forest not knowing what might happen on their journey together.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Enemies Past and Present

Ash and May walked under the dense green canopy of Viridian Forest, still holding hands, looking at all of the Pokémon that surrounded them. When May picked a Pokéball from her belt and threw it into the air, Ash watched as the ball spun before opening and Glaceon appeared in a flash of light. Glaceon shook herself and looked to see where she was when she saw Ash she ran up to him and rub against his leg.

"Glace Glace." She purred. Ash let go of May's hand and crouched down to stroke the Ice type.

"Hi Glaceon it's been a while hasn't it. I'm happy to see you as well and Pikachu is too." Ash turned look at the electric mouse "Aren't you buddy?"

"Pika Chu Pi Pi Chu" squeaked the excited Pokémon as he jumped off of Ash's shoulder to greet his old friend. When Pikachu went to say hello to Glaceon she turned and licked his cheek this stopped Pikachu in his tracks as he didn't know how to deal with this type of situation (much like his trainer). Ash, still stroking Glaceon, looked at May and said

"Why did Glaceon do that?"

"Probably because she's happy to see Pikachu after so long." May replied even though she knew how much Glaceon liked Pikachu. Ash just shrugged accepting this explanation

"Well let's keep moving we might be able to reach Pewter City before it gets dark." They walked a little further into the forest and found themselves in a large clearing.

"Can't we stop for a few minutes Ash my feet are tired." May pleaded

"Okay May we'll rest for a bit." Ash said putting his bag of the ground. Thinking for a minute Ash then realised where they were resting and he started to smile.

"Ash why are you smiling" Asked May.

"This is where I caught my first wild Pokémon and where we re-united a couple of years ago." Ash explained.

"What Pokémon was it?"

"It was a Caterpie and he was one of my strongest Pokémon."

"What did you mean when you said re-united?"

"When Caterpie had fully evolved into a Butterfree I released him so he could breed. At the time I thought that he had made friends with a wild pink Butterfree but Misty and Brock eventually explained to me that they were going to be more than friends. Then a couple of years ago I was here training with my bug and grass type Pokémon when I saw him again, I asked him if he wanted to join the team again and he said yes. I tried to ask him what happened to the pink Butterfree but he won't talk about it."

"How did you know he was the same Butterfree?"

"When I released him Misty tied a yellow handkerchief round his neck and he was still wearing it." May nodded.

After twenty minutes of rest they decided to carry on walking but just as they reached the edge of the clearing they heard a terrifying screech tear through the air. Looking for the source Ash saw a large brown flying type Pokémon with light brown feathers on the edge of its wings, a long pink beak and a red spiked crest on top of its head soaring straight for him, Ash grabbed May and pulled her to the ground as the Pokémon barely missed them. May blushed slightly when she realised that she was lying on top of Ash. Ash didn't notice this as he recognised the Pokémon by the anger he saw in its eyes as it swept past barely missing them.

"Oh no. Not you again." Ash said

"Why is that Pokémon attacking us?" May cried.

"Me and Pikachu have history with that Pokémon"

May got her Pokédex out and pointed it at the flying type.

"_Fearow, the Beak Pokémon, Fearow have the stamina to fly for long periods of time and they fight with their sharp beaks. These Pokémon are very aggressive take care when here one."_

"What kind of history do you have with it?"

"On my first day of being a trainer I tried to capture a Spearow and failed so Spearow attacked Pikachu. Pikachu shocked it and Spearow called for its flock all of them attacked Pikachu. I grabbed Pikachu and ran a storm started while we ran I met Misty and borrowed her bike the Spearow still attacking eventually I crashed the bike and stood in front of a Pikachu to protect him from the Spearow they all flew straight for me, Pikachu ran up my back jumped from my shoulder, used the lightning to power up his electric attacks and shocked the whole flock." While saying this to May Ash kept an eye on the Fearow and Pikachu kept it at bay by firing Thunderbolts at it. "The Spearow evolved into that Fearow and terrorised a flock of Pidgey and Pidgeotto until my Pidgeotto stood up to it and evolved into a Pidgeot. Pidgeot wanted to stay with the flock and protect them. I'm guessing that Fearow move here after that and it still hates me and Pikachu."

As Pikachu was about to launch another Thunderbolt Fearow folded its wings to its sides and started to spin diving towards the ground. They watched as Fearow spun its way underground.

"What's it doing?" May asked

"Drill Run, Pikachu keep moving round don't stay till and charge a Volt Tackle for when Fearow surfaces."

"Pika" came the reply from his Pokémon. As Pikachu started to run in an evasive pattern while golden sparks came from his body as he prepared to use Volt Tackle. The ground started to break underneath Pikachu and before he could move out of the way Fearow erupted from the earth spinning and causing a lot of damage to Pikachu. Fearow followed Drill Run with a ferocious Fury Attack, under this onslaught Pikachu couldn't concentrate enough to try and counter.

"Glaceon use Ice Beam." called May. Glaceon ran forward and shot an icy blue beam of energy at Fearow hitting it in the back between the wings. A cry of pain escaped from its beak as it took to the air to escape the attack. Glaceon and May kept using Ice Beam to stop Fearow from attacking Pikachu again. Fearow used Double Team to avoid the Ice Beams and countered by using Hyper Beam. Glaceon dodged the actual beam but got hit by the debris from the beam hitting the ground, Glaceon recovered quickly and continued to fire Ice Beams at Fearow who used Double Team again before using Faint Attack. May looked around to try and find Fearow before seeing it appear a few feet behind Ash. May feared for her friends safety when she saw the strength of the anger and hatred in Fearow's eyes.

"Ash Look out!" May cried as she saw what was about to happen. Ash looked over his shoulder and crouched slightly waiting for Fearow to get closer before somersaulting backwards over Fearow's back. A look of utter shock formed on May's face as a result of what Ash had just done. Fearow soared high into the air while it waited for another opportunity to attack. Ash reached for a Pokéball, threw it into the air and released Staraptor "Staraptor used Aerial Ace on Fearow" Staraptor flew at Fearow slamming into its stomach. Fearow countered by using Steel Wing knocking Staraptor away. The two flying Pokémon kept trading attacks as they soared higher and higher into the sky, but still close to Pikachu's position so Ash waited until it was completely safe before going to Pikachu's side, after a few minutes which seemed like hours to the two trainers until Staraptor came back and Fearow could be seen flying into the distance.

"Thanks for your help Staraptor return." Ash said putting Staraptor back in its Pokéball.

Ash ran towards Pikachu to check on him but when Ash was a few feet away from his Pokémon he saw a net shot out from amongst the trees and scoop up Pikachu. Looking into the trees Ash saw a twenty foot robot with a net in one hand, a giant red R on its chest, a set of black tank tracks and a clear dome for a head, inside the dome sat Team Rocket, Jessie and James sat at the front and Meowth sat further back between them tied to his chair with his arms folded across him chest. The dome opened and they started to recite their motto

**Jessie:** Prepare for trouble!

**James:** Make it double!

**Jessie:** To protect the world from devastation!

**James:** To unite all peoples within our nation!

**Jessie:** To denounce the evils of truth and love!

**James:** To extend our reach to the stars above!

**Jessie:** Jessie!

**James:** James!

**Jessie:** Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!

**James:** Surrender now or prepare to fight!

**Wobbuffet: **Wobbu Wobbu

**Meowth:** I told youse to I'm not helping you to snag Pikachu. Now untie me!

"We'll untie you when you regain your senses and act like a member of this team." said James.

"I am a member of dis team and I want to finish de mission we were given which isn't to capture the twerp's Pikachu. Now let me go you stupid mhmhmkmhghthgtm." Meowth replied the end of his sentence muffled as James gagged him.

"Will you two stop arguing we've got Pikachu let's get out of here." Jessie said.

"Not you again, don't you three ever give up?" Ash shouted to them.

"We will now that we have Pikachu now so long twerp" Jessie called back laughing as the dome close above her head and she turned the robot to leave. Glaceon shot an Ice Beam at the robot's tracks freezing them but the robot was too strong for the ice and carried on moving. Ash was about to call on another of his Pokémon when from out of the sun dove Fearow using Drill Run again. James tried to swat Fearow away with the robot's other hand but missed and Fearow sliced through the net which held Pikachu releasing him. Landing on his feet Pikachu ran back towards Ash as Fearow circled back to attack Pikachu once more.

"Hey doesn't that Fearow look familiar." James said.

"You're right it does look familiar. Isn't that the Fearow the twerp's Pidgeot beat before we went to the Orange Islands." Jessie said recognising the bird Pokémon. "Why is it helping the twerp? It hates him."

"It's not helping him its after Pikachu." James explained. "Look its coming back." He said pointing at the beak Pokémon, who was turning around to chase after the electric mouse.

Reaching for his belt Ash grabbed one of his Pokéball throwing it hard and he shouted "Sceptile I choose you!" then in a flash of white light a tall green lizard-like Pokémon with a bushy dark green tail and yellow seeds attached to his back emerged. Reaching down to the forest floor he picked up a twig and put it in his mouth. Standing proud and determined was the fully-evolved grass type starter pokemon from Hoenn that had beaten a supposedly unbeatable Darkrai during the Sinnoh League semi-finals, he was one of Ash's strongest Pokémon and one of his most stubborn when it came to battles.

"Wow, Sceptile looks stronger than ever." Said May admiring the forest Pokémon she had known for years.

"He is. Now Sceptile intercept that Fearow with Quick Attack." Ash said.

"Sceptile!" he cried as he nodded before running towards the flying type leaving a trail of white light behind him. Fearow saw Sceptile surging towards it but had no time to avoid the attack as the grass type slammed into its side knocking it into the trees. Fearow swept its wings and narrowly avoided a large oak tree, weaving through the trees with an agility unheard of for Pokémon of his species. As Fearow burst through the forest's canopy and dove towards Sceptile.

"Sceptile it's using Aerial Ace dodge with Agility and counter. You know what to use." Ash called to his Pokémon with a small smile on his lips. May had a confused look on her face as she looked at Ash trying to figure out what he meant. _I know that last time I saw Sceptile he could use Leaf Blade, Quick Attack, Bullet Seed and Solarbeam. During the Sinnoh semi-finals Sceptile used Leaf Storm but I don't see how any of those attacks could help here. _May thought to herself as she watched Sceptile standing still as Fearow got closer and closer. _He's not going to get out of the way in time!_ May thought as she was about to shout to the grass type she stole a glance at Ash and was shocked to find he looked as calm as Sceptile, looking back to the battle she was just in time to see Sceptile appear alongside Fearow and his fist was sparking with electricity.

"SCEP TILE" roared the forest Pokémon as he threw a Thunder Punch into Fearow's stomach sending it high into the air.

While Sceptile battled Fearow, Team Rocket were still trying to capture Pikachu without success as Glaceon kept using Ice Beam to stall the robots tracks whenever they got close. Inside the robot's cockpit Meowth was struggling to get out of the ropes tying him to his chair having already succeeding in removing his gag, Meowth was shouting encouragement to Glaceon and Pikachu even though he knew that they couldn't hear him, he mainly did it to annoy Jessie and James.

"Will you stop that Meowth" Shouted an anger James "We are trying to get Pikachu and your yelling isn't helping!"

"I don't care." Retorted the cat Pokémon "Glaceon use Ice Beam on the cockpit. Pikachu Thunderbolt the arms."

"That's enough out of you." Jessie said as she replaced Meowth's gag and taping it in place. _What are we going to do with him? _Jessie thought to herself. During this Pikachu and Glaceon were still dodging the robot's arms and tried to stop its tracks but failed to do so. James was shifting the levers and pressing the buttons on the robot's console trying everything he could think of to try and capture Pikachu again. Suddenly a light started to blink on the console.

"Jessie what does this light mean?" James asked. Jessie finished tying Meowth up and walked up behind James to look at the light he mentioned.

"It means that something is coming towards us." She answered. As they looked around they couldn't see anything until the cockpit started to get dark, looking straight up they saw Fearow falling down towards the robot. Taking advantage of this development Ash came up with an idea to take care of both Team Rocket and Fearow, he turned to May and said "Quickly tell Glaceon to use Ice Beam, full power. Trust me I have an idea"

"Okay Ash I trust you. Glaceon use Ice Beam now." May said.

"Pikachu match Glaceon's power and use Ice Bolt." Ash called to his Pokémon. May turned to look at Ash in confusion as she had never heard of a move called Ice Bolt. Pikachu nodded understanding what Ash wanted him to do before charging up his energy. Glaceon formed an icy blue ball of energy in front of her open mouth as she fired an Ice Beam at Team Rocket and Fearow Pikachu released a Thunderbolt aiming at the same spot the Ice Beam was heading for. The two attacks surged forward and the Thunderbolt started to wrap itself around the Ice Beam, May looked on in amazement as the two streams of energy, one sparking yellow electricity and the other shimmering light blue slowly combined into one attack, one beam which was light green in colour and gave off sparks of the same colour as the beam. _It's beautiful_ though May _how did Ash learn to do this?_ The combined power of Glaceon's Ice Beam and Pikachu's Thunderbolt surged towards Team Rocket's robot and Fearow, who was lying onto of the cockpit, Jessie and James were so busy trying to get rid of Fearow they didn't notice the attack heading straight for them. Meowth saw the attack and instead of trying to warn his team mates he simply braced himself for the inevitable explosion.

Jessie saw the combined attack out of the corner of her eye and tried to move the robot out of the way but James was still trying to dislodge Fearow so all the robot did was spin its arms and move towards the beam. As the attack hit the robot ice started to encase it before the electricity started to course through the console then the full power of the Ice Bolt was unleashed as the Thunderbolts energy started to blow all of the circuits and the Ice Beam helped to carry the electricity around the robot until there was a large explosion destroying the robot and sending both Team Rocket and Fearow high into the air.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" cried Jessie and James

"Fearow" Cawed the beak pokemon

"Untkdk medkdd nfdsl" Mumbled Meowth as all of them soared into the distance.

"Well that should keep them busy for a while" said Ash holding Sceptile's Pokéball "You did well Sceptile. I think you're even faster now. Take a good long rest return." Sceptile nodded, happy with what his trainer had just said before returning to his Pokéball. Pikachu and Glaceon ran into their trainer's arms proud of how well they and their trainers had worked together after spending so much time apart. Ash and May hugged their Pokémon and told them how proud they were of them. After a few minutes Ash put Pikachu down and opened his bag.

"What are you doing Ash?" asked May

"I'm looking for some medicine so I can heal Pikachu." He replied still searching his bag until he found and pulled out a couple of potions. May watched as Ash stroked Pikachu before healing him _Although he looks and seems different he's still the same Ash I've always known _she thought happily.

"Okay buddy this might sting a little but it will make you feel better" Ash said to Pikachu as he started to squirt the medicine on to Pikachu's wounds. Pikachu winced in pain as the potions started to take effect but he didn't make any noise he stayed silent until Ash had finished. Glaceon sat watching Pikachu as Ash tended to him wanting to make sure that he was okay.

When Pikachu was fully healed Ash and May continued to walk through Viridian Forest on their way Pewter City, holding hands again as Pikachu and Glaceon walked in front of them Glaceon occasionally rubbing against Pikachu, May noticed this and smiled. After a while it started to get dark so Ash and May decided to set up camp for the night, when they had started a fire Ash took a pot from his bag, poured water into it and hung it over the fire. He then got some noodles and berries from his bag. May sat watching him as he sliced the berries before putting them in the pot along with the noodles.

"When did you learn to cook Ash?" May asked

"A couple of years ago before I started to travel around training. My mom said I needed to know how to cook because I wasn't travelling with Brock or Cilan." Ash replied while he stirred the food. "I'm not that great but it tastes okay to me, it needs a few minutes before its ready." Ash started to prepare bowls for himself, May, Pikachu and Glaceon.

"Ash what was that attack you told Pikachu to use? Ice Bolt I think you called it."

"That's right, while I was training I've taught my Pokémon to use moves together like Ice Beam and Thunderbolt to create more powerful moves, some can be used by on Pokémon others need to be used by two or more depending on the situation. It was tough but well worth the effort and I'm proud of what my Pokémon are able to do."

"What other moves have you combined?"

"I can't tell you that May you'll just have to wait and see." Ash said winking as he smiled at his friend. Over the next few minutes May tried everything she could think of to try and get Ash to tell her but his lips stayed sealed on the subject.

"Okay it's not much but dinner is served." Ash said as he poured the soup into the bowls before passing the first one to May and then putting two on the ground for Pikachu and Glaceon. May gently blew on the soup before she ate it and was surprised by how great it tasted.

"Ash this is amazing. It's on the same level as Brock's cooking." She said.

"Aw come on May it's not that good. You're just saying that." Ash said blushing slightly and scratching the back of his head.

"No Ash I mean it you're a great cook." Pikachu and Glaceon nodded in agreement with what May was saying.

"Thanks May."

They finished their meal in silence enjoying the warmth and taste. After cleaning up they set up their sleeping bags and sat looking at the stars.

"Ash?" May asked "When you were traveling did you go to Hoenn?" This had been bothering her for a couple of days.

"Yeah I did."

"Why didn't you visit?"

Ash was silent for a minute before answering. May watched him waiting for his reason. "When I was in Hoenn I went to Mt Chimney and the desert on route 111. I was so focused on training that I couldn't think of anything else…. and I didn't know if you were there or out competing in contests." He finished in a quietly turning his face to hide the blush that covered his cheeks, he knew he should have visited Petalburg but couldn't bring himself to do it and he'd never figure out why. May was touched by what he had said and her heart fluttered again, she was starting to get a clearer picture of what she was feeling and feeling quite scared of what it meant. May decided to try changing the subject to try and ease the tension that had filled the air, she quickly thought of something that would definitely get Ash's mind off what had just happened, though she made a note to find out exactly what Ash had meant by that.

"So did you catch any new Pokémon while you were travelling?" Ash looked at May the glow from the fire hiding the blush on his face.

"Yeah sort of."

"What do you mean by sort of?"

"There were Pokémon that I left with people for training that I got back and others like Butterfree that I released have come back. There are some Pokémon I've got now that I've befriended during my journeys."

"Such as?"

"You'll have to wait and see." Ash said being cryptic.

"Ash I don't like it when you're being mysterious." May said getting angry although she secretly liked this new side of Ash.

"Sorry May but I want it to be a surprise." He replied smiling. Which just frustrated May as she found the smile itself annoying and how it looked on Ash's face to be very sexy._ Hang on did I just think of Ash as sexy? What's going on?_ May thought unnerved by her thoughts

Once again May tried to get Ash to spill his secrets but nothing worked, Ash tried to change the subject by asking her I she had caught any new Pokémon but May wouldn't tell him only smiling slyly and continued to question him, eventually she gave up and realising the time they decided to get some sleep. Saying good night to each other they climbed into their sleeping bags and slowly drifted off to sleep on separate sides of the fire. Pikachu slept between the trainers quickly falling into a deep sleep, Glaceon nudged Pikachu slightly and got no response so she curled up next to him and went to sleep.

May woke the next morning, saw that Ash had already started making breakfast and that Pikachu and Glaceon were still asleep curled up together. May smiled at the sight then looked around the campsite to find Ash, she saw him off to one side exercising, without his t-shirt on. May was surprised at this and blushed as she once again saw how much Ash had changed, throughout all the time she had travelled with Ash she had never seen him exercise unless he was training his Pokémon so she just sat watching him. Ash didn't notice May watching him as he was too focused on doing press-ups, Ash then remembered something he had seen on the TV before he left home so he thought why not try it. Ash kicked his legs off the ground so he was in a handstand then proceeded to do press-ups like this. He managed to do a couple before hearing someone clapping which threw off his concentration and he fell on his head. May ran to his side to check on him the blush still on her face.

"Sorry Ash that was my fault I shouldn't have started clapping, it's just that it was very impressive." May said offering Ash her hand to help him up.

"It's okay May breakfast will be ready soon so I needed to stop anyway." Ash replied taking her hand and getting off the ground. As he stood up he realised that he how close to May he was standing, he didn't have a t-shirt on and was still holding May's hand. Ash looked into May's eyes and felt that he was falling into them, he quickly let go of May's hand and backed away panicking at how he had been feeling. May had been feeling the same things and she backed away as well. Ash grabbed a t-shirt from his bag and put it on before walking quickly to the fire and the soup they were going to have for breakfast, they ate in silence with Pikachu and Glaceon looking between them wondering what had gone on while they slept.

The tension stayed with them until they heard as noise coming from the bushes in front of them. May moved behind Ash while Pikachu and Glaceon took up defensive stances in case it was Team Rocket or Fearow again, the seconds seemed like hours until a Spoink hopped out of the bushes. Reaching for his Pokédex Ash pointed it at Spoink.

_Spoink the Bounce Pokémon, Spoink is always bouncing on its spring-like tail, if Spoink stops bouncing its heart will stop. The pearl on its head amplifies it psychic powers._

"How cute I'm going to catch it. Glaceon use Iron Tail on Spoink." May said to her Ice type as she stepped out from behind Ash. Glaceon ran towards the psychic Pokémon with her tail glowing white as it took on a metallic sheen. Spoink dodged to the left but Glaceon spun round and her tail collided with the side of Spoink's body.

"Now use Ice Beam." A ball of energy formed in front of Glaceon's mouth as she fired a light blue beam at Spoink. Spoink countered with a Psybeam but the Ice Beam slowly pushed it back overpowering it, Spoink then became coated in a shimmering white energy which reflected Ice Beam back at Glaceon.

"May it knows Mirror Coat." Ash called out.

"Glaceon use Dig" Glaceon dove into the ground dodging the returning Ice Beam. Spoink tightened its tail and bounced high into the air when Glaceon surfaced Spoink started to hurtle towards her.

"Now Glaceon use Ice Shard followed by Secret Power." Glaceon looked straight up at the plummeting Spoink and fired a multitude of icy missiles before glowing pink and jumping towards the psychic Pokémon. The Ice Shards hit Spoink soon followed by the glowing Glaceon. When Spoink hit the ground and the effect of Secret Power became apparent as Spoink was asleep.

"Okay now's my chance Pokéball Go!" May shouted as she threw a Pokéball at the sleeping psychic type. As the ball hit Spoink it glowed red before disappearing into the ball a flash of red light, the ball shook once, twice, three times before it stopped and sparkles of white light were emitted confirming the capture.

"I did it I caught Spoink." May cried holding the ball in one hand and showing the peace sign with the other.

"Well done May. You did great." Ash said.

"Thanks Ash. Let's keep going so I can get Spoink healed." The excitement from the battle had caused the tension between Ash and May to ease, though they still felt slightly awkward after the events that happened before breakfast. They continued to walk through the forest until they came to the end. A notice board stood in front of them and a poster caught May's attention as she went up to it her eyes widened and started to shine.

"Ash we need to get to Pewter City NOW!"

"What do you mean May?"

"There's a contest in Pewter City tomorrow and I want to enter so I can get my first ribbon. Let's hurry I don't want to miss registration. Come on!" She said grabbing Ash's hand as she dragged him towards Pewter City. Ash had to run to keep up with May, the tension between them forgotten as May ran to her contest and Ash ran towards his first Gym battle. Pikachu and Glaceon looked at each other shaking their heads at how their trainers were acting before running after them.

As the two trainers had made their way out of the forest Team Rocket were stuck in a tree along with Fearow. Meowth was still tied up and gagged hanging from a branch in the tree opposite Jessie, James and Fearow.

"Why does the twerp always win and what's with the new moves?" Jessie complained.

"Fear Fear Row Fearow." Squawked Fearow. Jessie looked at the large flying type and felt the anger and hatred that it held for Ash and Pikachu, reaching to her belt she got a Pokéball and held it in front of Fearow.

"Jessie? What are you doing?" James asked but Jessie ignored him looking only at the Fearow.

"You feel the same way we do about Pikachu and the twerp don't you." Jessie said to the Fearow who nodded. "Come with us. Join Team Rocket together we can have our revenge against them. What do you say?" Meowth's eyes widened and James mouth fell open this Fearow had attacked them in the past, the Fearow that had just stopped them from stealing Pikachu and now Jessie was asking it to join them. Fearow looked at the Pokéball then at Jessie and back to the Pokéball before pecking the centre of the ball, disappearing into the Pokéball and it didn't try to escape. Jessie beamed and then started to climb out of the tree. "Are you two coming or are you going to stay there all day? She said to James and Meowth. James climbed down from his tree then climbed up the tree that Meowth was hanging from. As he moved towards Meowth lifting him from the branch he was hanging off, Meowth nodded his thanks to James because his mouth was still gagged.

"Meowth why are you against us when it comes to the twerp and his Pikachu? What happened while we were in Unova?" James asked taking Meowth's gag off but Meowth just looked away staying silent. As James climbed down from the tree, carrying Meowth in his arms he thought about what might have happened in Unova that might have changed his team mate _Both Jessie and myself were with Meowth all the time in Unova….except for when he tricked the twerps as part of our plan to steal the Pokémon from the Nimbasa City Pokémon Centre. Something must have happened to him during that time. _James thought_ But what was it and what can we do to turn him back to his old self?_ Meowth was about to ask James to untie him but Jessie said "James gag Meowth before he turns on us again." James fearful of what Jessie might to do him quickly gagged Meowth again giving him an apologetic look.

"I'll try and talk to her." He whispered in Meowth's ear so Jessie wouldn't hear him. Meowth simply looked at James with pleading eyes before nodding, resigned to the fact that there wasn't anything he could do.

As Ash and May entered Pewter City they stopped bending over, hands on their knees catching their breath after running from Viridian Forest. Pikachu and Glaceon at their feet waiting for them for recover before they headed in to Pewter City to find the Pokémon Centre. When they had gotten their breath back and were ready to start walking again, May turned to Ash but not looking directly at him and said "Ash because there's a contest here I think we should hold hands again just in case. Drew might have told other co-ordinators about us and if they see use we have to look like a couple." May looked away before saying quietly "We'll need to share a room again to make it look real." Looking surprised at what May had just said, he felt the same unknown feelings he had felt earlier. The feelings were strange but not unpleasant they filled his chest with an unusual warmth that made him feel invincible. Ash slowly he reached out and took May's hand in his, pulling down his hat to hide face because he started to feel the warmth in his chest moving to his cheeks, which he was sure were turning red.

"Okay May let's go to the Pokémon Centre and heal our Pokémon. After that we can go visit Brock at the Gym." he said and they walked in the direction of the Pokémon Centre.

"Hey Ash has Brock told you how his studies are going and who is helping him?" May asked wanting to know how much contact Ash had with their friends, she asked the question to try and take her mind off the feeling that were swelling inside her. Ash looked at her in confusion, Brock had told Ash how far he was getting with his training to become a Pokémon Doctor but he didn't say anything about someone helping him.

"Someone's helping him? The last time I talked to him he said that there were only a couple of tests left before he was qualified that was a couple of weeks ago. He never mentioned that he had help studying. Do you know who it is?"

"I do but you'll have to see it for yourself to believe it." May said cryptically. Ash looked at her before thinking _I'll go and see Brock as soon as May's registered for the contest and our Pokémon are healed._ Ash and May then continued on their way to the Pokémon Centre.

However they didn't see a cloaked figure staring at them from the shadows of an alleyway behind them with hate burning in their eyes and their mouth a vicious snarl.

"So she didn't lie." The figure growled "Well Ketchum let the games begin." The person then backed out of sight and walked away chuckling evilly, thinking of a plan to use against Ash. As this mysterious person walked off something fell from inside their cloak, it slowly fluttered to the ground and was revealed to be a red petal. Ash turned to look at the alleyway a blue light barely visible in his eyes. Ash started to feel uneasy they turned back to see May looking at him.

"I thought I heard something." He said as the blue light in his eyes disappeared and then they continued on to the way to the Pokémon Centre.

When the Pokémon Centre came into sight Ash and May picked up their pace wanting to get a room before they all went and they had seen a lot of co-ordinators as they walked through the city. Walking up to the desk Ash handed his and May's Pokémon to Nurse Joy and asked for a room with two single beds while May went over to a separate desk to register for the contest. As May showed her contest card to the woman stood at the desk she was told because it wasn't an official contest she didn't need to use it and just needed to sign her name. As May was writing her name she felt a hand on her shoulder without turning she said "It's not an official contest Ash but it'll be good practice for the official ones."

"That's good to know May." a voice said that wasn't Ash's but one May knew only too well. "Drew! What are you doing here." May said knocking Drew's hand off her shoulder while she frantically looked for Ash.

"I'm here for the contest." Drew replied standing close to May (Too close for May's liking). "So May who are you here with?"

"She's here with me." Came a voice from behind Drew. Relief flashed in May's eyes as Drew turned round to see who was interrupting his time with May.

"And who are…" Drew started to say, flicking his hair before stopping when he found that he was about a foot shorter that the man behind him and realised he was looking at the man's chest "…you?" he finished shifting his gaze to the man's face when he finally recognized the man in front of him.

"Drew I'm hurt. You don't recognise me?" The man said moving to stand next to May.

"Ketchum?" Drew said not believing his eyes at how great the difference since he last saw Ash.

"That's right." Ash then followed what May had told him over the past few days and put an arm round her and kissed her cheek. May was more shocked by this then Drew and both turned redder than Groudon but for very different reasons. "So" Ash continued "What have you been up to? Won any Grand Festivals?" May had told him that every Grand Festival she had entered Drew had entered as well and she had beaten him every single time. Drew composed himself before replying

"I've been doing more than you have for the past three years, I've been getting even stronger while you've hidden yourself away because you're weak. What have you done?" May tried to move and strangle Drew but Ash's arm held her in place.

"Since you asked I've been training with my Pokémon and with some really strong trainers." Ash said calmly. May was surprised once again at how much he had changed normally he would have started shouting in anger.

"Like who?" Drew asked.

"I'm not telling but I will say some of them are very well known." Ash said. "So May ready to win your first ribbon?" Ash asked completely ignoring Drew.

"It's not an official contest but I'm still going to enter for the practice."

"I'm entering as well" Drew said trying to bring May's attention back to him.

"If it's unofficial then I'll enter as well I could be fun." Ash said turning round and signing his name on the entrance sheet. May and Drew just stood there mouths open stunned at what Ash was doing.

After Ash and May had gotten rid of Drew and retrieved there Pokémon back from Nurse Joy they made their way to the Pewter City Gym.

"Ash." May started "Why did you kiss my cheek when we were talking to Drew?" Ash rubbed the back of his head and both Pikachu and Glaceon looked at him in astonishment "May I just did what you told me I needed to do."

"What do you mean?"

"You said that being a boyfriend meant that I had to hug you, hold your hand and other stuff like that."

"Still doesn't explain the kiss. What made you do it?"

"While I was training at home my mom made me watch films with her. They were all mushy ones and I remembered that in one of them when someone was talking to the lead character's girlfriend he walked up put his arm around her and kissed her."

"Oh okay then." Silence fell between them before May broke it by asking sweetly.

"So Ash what Pokémon are you going to use for the contest?" trying to get Ash to tell her what she might be going up against.

"Not telling but I will tell you that they are two of my new Pokémon." Ash replied.

When they arrived at the Pewter City Gym they walked around the side to the house that sat behind it. Knocking on the door they waited for a few minutes before the door opened and Ash realized who had been helping Brock with his studies.


	3. Chapter 3

**Here is chapter. I wanted to update this story everycouple of weeks but with christmas and everything it took me longer than I thought it would. Hope you enjoy it.**

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Chapter 3

Beauty in the Battle

Standing in the doorway was a figure from Ash's past, a trainer he had battled years before. She greeted them with a warm smile and turned to May saying.

"May It's great to see you again. How have you been?"

"It's great seeing you again too. I've been competing in contests and training a lot since we last met. You mightn't recognise him but this is…"

"Ash Ketchum. Of course I recognise him, we did some training together last year. Ash stopped by the Battle Pike on his way to Rota. How's Serperior doing?" the woman said finishing May's sentence.

May looked between them in shock, Ash had told her that he'd trained with a lot of strong trainers but she didn't think that he'd trained with her.

The woman standing before them had long black hair with black and red bangs, her skin pale in contrast to the darkness of her hair. She wore purple gloves that stopped just before her elbows, a purple sleeveless top that left her toned stomach visible, a gold diamond shaped belt and long black pants which hid most of her purple high heeled shoes. She stood with regal poise and a confidence that only experienced trainers could manage. She was the Pike Queen Lucy of the Kanto Battle Frontier.

"She's even stronger now. Your advice helped a lot, we're battling a lot better now. So how have you been Lucy? What are you doing here at Brock's house?"

Lucy blushed slightly and started to stutter so May turned to Ash before saying.

"Brock went to see Lucy about a year ago to ask for her help with his studies on serpentine Pokémon. While Lucy helped Brock they got closer, Brock stopped professing his undying love to every girl he met and only said things like that to Lucy." Ash looked at Lucy and saw that her blush had deepened.

"So their best friends?" Ash asked. May face palmed amazed at how dense Ash was capable of being.

"No, Brock asked Lucy out on a date and they've been a couple for nearly a year now." May explained. Lucy nodded her head with a smile on her face as she remembered how nervous Brock was when he asked her out and how happy she was when she accepted.

Ash had a slightly shocked look on his face but he hid it quickly. _Wow, Brock actually got a girl to go out with him. _Ash thought _Oh well stranger things have happened. I'm named in an ancient prophecy and I've encountered nearly every Legendary Pokémon there is. May's the mother figure of Manaphy, Max is the best friend of Jirachi, a Pokémon that only wakes up every thousand years for a few days before going back to sleep._ May nudged Ash when she saw that he was lost in his thoughts.

"May how do you know about Lucy and Brock?" Ash asked.

"I've kept in touch with Brock and he told me. I've become quite close friends with Lucy as well. Right?" May explained before directing a question at Lucy.

"That's right. Ash why don't you go and see Brock he's in the Gym, May and I are going to be talking about girl things and I'm sure that you don't want to hear any of it." Lucy said.

"Okay see you later." Ash said before walking back to the Gym's main entrance.

"Lucy when did Ash train with you?" May asked.

"Roughly a year and a half ago. He wanted help with Serperior because she's a snake like Pokémon." Lucy replied waiting for Ash to get to the Gym's entrance.

Lucy noticed that something had changed in Ash and May's behaviour. They were standing close together, their hands and shoulders kept brushing against each other and they both had a slight blush on their faces when she had opened the door. Knowing that she was more likely to get an explanation from May if they were alone she knew that girl talk was the one thing that could get Ash to stay away from them and by sending Ash to the Gym to talk to Brock was another way of making sure he didn't interrupt.

When Ash was out of sight Lucy pulled May into the house, walking her into the lounge before turning to her and saying "Tell me everything."

"What do you mean?" May asked.

"You know exactly what I mean but if you want me to say it I will. What is going on between you and Ash?" May's face went red. "I knew it you like Ash. Don't you." Lucy said.

"I don't know!" May shouted. She took a deep breath the blush on her face fading before carrying on. "Sorry about that, I'm been really confused lately. Lucy you know how I said that Drew was bothering me." Lucy nodded listening intently. "Well I told him that I had a boyfriend he asked who it was, I panicked and said Ash. So I was on my way to Pallet Town to ask Ash to pretend to be my boyfriend in case Drew asked him. When I was in Viridian City Ash came into the Pokémon Centre so I had to spell it out for him what I was asking and he agreed." Lucy started to smile, May then explained what had happened while they had been in Viridian Forest and how they had just met Drew in the Pokémon Centre.

"May your leaving something out I can tell what is it." Lucy said. May sighed and continued "When Drew was talking to me Ash was handing our Pokémon over to Nurse Joy. Drew asked who I was with and Ash came over saying I was with him. Drew didn't recognise him at first." May paused and touched her cheek. "Ash stood next to me, put his arm round me and kissed my cheek." She finished turning red again.

Lucy's eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open her minded raced for something to say but it was a choice between saying nothing or saying everything at once. Eventually Lucy composed herself. She looked at May and said "We have a lot to talk about."

While Lucy and May were talking Ash opened the doors of the Gym and stepped inside. The Gym was the same as it had been the first time he had entered it at the start of his journey, it was dark with only just enough light to see where he was going. Ash smiled a little and said "I'm here to challenge the Pewter City Gym Leader!" A spotlight came on to Ash's right it showed a 27 years old man sitting on a boulder. Ash turned to look at the man knowing it was his friend, the closest thing that he had to a brother, Brock. He had tanned skin, spiked dark brown hair and his eyes were thin lines. He wore a green short sleeved shirt with a vest over it the top of the vest was dark brown and the bottom was light brown, olive cargo pants and blue trainers. "Who challenges the Pewter City Gym?" _He doesn't recognise me_ Ash realised he kept his head down to see how long it took Brock to realised who was standing in front of him. "I challenge the Pewter City Gym."

"And who are you to think you can defeat the greatest Rock-type Gym in Kanto?"

"Someone who has beaten it before." Ash stated

"Oh" said Brock raising an eyebrow "And which Pokémon did you use?"

_Time to show him who I am_ Ash thought "I used this one. Come on buddy lets show him who we are." Ash said as Pikachu walked out from behind Ash's legs. Brock looked at Pikachu and smiled. "Well it's been a long time since I saw you last Pikachu and you as well Ash." Brock said standing up and walking over to Ash giving him a hug. "It's good to see you Ash."

"Good to see you to Brock. Looks like you managed to change the Gym back to the way it should be." Ash said returning the hug. Brock laughed saying "About 6 months ago Mom found something else that grabbed her attention so I changed the Gym back. How have you been?" Ash laughed "I've got a lot to tell you but you need to promise me that you won't tell anyone else not even Lucy. Congratulations by the way."

Brock move out of the hug and looked at his friend even though he knew it was Ash he still had trouble believing that the person in front of him was the same 10 year old he had met years ago. Ash was more grounded now and seemed to give off a quiet aura of power and confidence. Brock sat back down and Ash sat on a boulder opposite him "So Ash what have you been up to since you got back from Unova?" The friends spent the next hour talking about how Ash had trained, captured some new Pokémon and how he was going to challenge the leagues again but as he did with May, Ash kept some of the details the 3 year gap to himself only saying that he'd give all details when the time was right.

"Brock why are you in the Gym isn't Forrest the leader now?"

"Forrest is out training for the next week or so. He asked me to take his place so he didn't have to close the Gym, my studies have finished I'm just waiting on the results of the exam so I said okay to take my mind off it."

"I'm sure you've passed the exam." Ash said. Brock noticed that there was something different with his friend, Ash's hands kept fidgeting and he seemed to be thinking of something while he was talking.

"Ash what's wrong?"

"What do you mean Brock?"

"Something's on your mind. I've known you long enough to know when something is bothering you. You can talk to me, you know that. Trust me what's happened?"

Ash sighed and started to tell Brock what had happened since he'd left Pallet Town. How he'd met May, how they were now travelling together again, the favour, Team Rocket and Fearow and finally what had happened shortly before coming to the Gym. Brock smiled when he heard that May was here and talking to Lucy, his jaw dropped when Ash said told him about the favour and that he'd agreed to it. _Ash has changed more than I realised _Brock thought. When Ash mentioned that he had kissed May on the cheek Brock fell off the boulder he was sitting on.

"You okay Brock?"

"Fine" Brock said standing up "Ash go over everything again tell me the details even if you think their unimportant." Ash gave Brock a confused look before doing as his friend asked.

When Ash finished Brock was deep in thought _It's about time he started thinking about things other than Pokémon but he doesn't realise it. Maybe he hasn't changed as much as I thought. I'm sure that Lucy is getting the story from May now. I'll talk to Lucy to see how May feels then we can give them the push they need._

"So Ash shall we start the Gym battle?"

"I'd love to but I've signed up for the contest that's taking place today." Brock looked at his watch the contest was starting in half an hour.

"In that case lets go get May and Lucy the contest starts soon."

"Okay" Ash said getting up following Brock out of the gym.

Returning to the house they found May and Lucy waiting for them outside.

"We were just about to come and get you two." Said Lucy before giving Brock a look that said _We need to talk about these two. _Brock returned the look before turning to greet May giving her a hug.

"It's great to see you Brock" May said.

"It's great to see you too May. Now let's go your contest starts soon." Together the four of them walked through Pewter City to the hall the contest was taking place in.

"Ash do you need to change your Pokémon?" May asked.

"No I did it before we left the Pokémon Centre."

"Oh okay." May said she had hoped to see which Pokémon Ash was going to use. When they got to the contest hall Ash and May walked up to the main desk to sign in. After they signed in the lady on the desk told Ash and May how to get to the participants room, Ash and May turned back to Brock and Lucy

"We'll see you later." Ash and May said

"We'll be in the stands rooting for you." Brock said.

"Good luck." Lucy said before giving Ash and May a hug. When they had found seats Brock turned to Lucy putting his arm round her before saying.

"We're going to help them get together aren't we?"

"Of course we are. It's obvious to anyone who knows them, we'll need to call Misty and the others so they can help if they run it to Ash and May."

"Your right saying that it's obvious I saw it when we travelled together. They so alike it's quite scary. Now let's watch the contest."

A woman walked onto the contest stage she had blonde curly hair and wore a blue hair band. She was wearing white shorts and a light blue t-shirt with a short dark blue jacket over it. In her hand she had a microphone. It was Julia the Contest Announcer.

"Hello everybody and welcome to the Pewter City Contest. My name is Julia and I'm your announcer. The winner of today's contest will win this the Pewter Ribbon." Julia held up a ribbon it had a Boulder Badge in the middle and 3 light grey ribbon loops sticking out from each side. "We'd like to thank Brock the current Pewter City Gym Leader for donating a gym badge for use in the ribbon." A loud cheer came from the audience as a spotlight blazed into life pointing at Brock. He stood up and waved before sitting back down as the spotlight went out. "We also have a special prize for the winner of the contest but we will only reveal what it is after the final battle. Now here are our judges firstly we have Mr Contesta"

"It's a pleasure to be here" He said

"Secondly we have the Mayor of Pewter City Mr Greystone." Julia announced

"I wish all of the contestants good luck." He said

"And last but by no means least we have Pewter City's very own Nurse Joy"

"I look forward to seeing everyone bringing out the beauty of their Pokémon." She said smiling.

"And now let's get this contest under way shall we. Here are our participants and we have some well-known faces today." Julia waved her arm to the side of the stage as the people competing in the contest walked onto the stage.

"We have two co-ordinators from Hoenn so please give a cheer for May Maple and Drew Larousse." The audience went crazy when May waved and Drew just flicked his hair. "We also have a very accomplished Pokémon Trainer with us today, he hasn't been seen for a while but he's here now so please give it up for a trainer who has defeated the Battle Frontier Ash Ketchum." There was a minute of silence before the audience went absolutely insane. Ash scratched the back of his head before waving sheepishly. Drew snarled at the audience's reaction to Ash and his face turned purple when May walked over to Ash and put her arm around him which made the audience cheer so loud they could probably be heard in Unova. When the audience had calmed down the appeals round started. As May and Ash sat next to each other in the contestants room watching the other appeals take place on the TV that was attached to the wall.

Some of the appeals went really well for some and not so well for other. One contestant was hit by their Vileplume's Stun Spore and had to be taken to the Pokémon Centre, Nurse Joy went with them. The contest was about to be cancelled when Lucy stood up saying that she would take Nurse Joy's place so the contest could carry on. The time for May's Appeal came and she ran onto the stage "Venusaur!" she shouted "Take to the stage!" May threw a Pokéball releasing her Grass Pokémon.

"Venusaur use Petal Dance" Venusaur fired a tornado of small pink petals towards the ceiling.

"Now use Poison Powder, Sleep Powder and Sweet Scent." Venusaur released a cloud of purple, blue and pink powders into the petals coating them in the different colours.

"Okay now Sunny Day" A ball of golden light shot out of the flower on Venusaur's back. "Venusaur finish this with Synthesis" Venusaur started to shine with white light. The combination of light from Sunny Day and Synthesis made the powder covered petals to sparkle in the different colours. The audience oo'ed and aw'ed at the sight as May bowed.

"Now let's hear from our Judges." Julia said

"A beautiful appeal. Well done." Mr Contesta said.

"The skill displayed by Venusaur was incredible." Said Mr Greystone

"Venusaur's control was amazing and May's timing of the attacks was top rate." Lucy commented.

"Thank you judges and thank you May. Now for our next Co-ordinator Drew." Said Julia

Drew walked to the centre of the stage and flipped his hair before throwing a Pokéball into the air saying "Let's go Flygon."

Flygon flew out of its Pokéball and somersaulted before landing next to its trainer.

"Flygon use Sandstorm." Flygon flapped its wings causing a whirlwind of sand to appear.

"Now shape it!" Drew said and Flygon flew into the air circling the whirlwind slicing pieces out of it.

"Flygon finish it with Flamethrower." Flygon opened its mouth releasing a stream of fire at the Sandstorm starting at the bottom and working up to the top. When Flygon was finished the shaped Sandstorm had turned to glass and looked like an Onix. Everyone in the contest hall stared in awe at the giant glass statue that stood in the middle of the stage before cheering at the top of their lungs.

"Judges what do you think?"

"A spectacular display. I've never seen anything like that before." Said Mr Contesta.

"A marvellous appeal and quite fitting for this city." Said Mr Greystone

"Flygon's power and speed are amazing. It has been well trained." Said Lucy.

"Now we will take a short break before our final appeal so that this statue can be removed from the stage." Julia told the crowd.

Ash walked from the participant's room to the stage, he had left Pikachu with May, meeting Drew in the tunnel he said.

"Good appeal Drew."

"You don't stand a chance here Ketchum" Drew said flicking his hair. "Why don't you just leave now and save yourself the embarrassment."

"You'll see what I can do Drew." Ash said smiling and walking past May's rival before stopping and looking over his shoulder. "Drew you know something, if you get a haircut you won't need to keep flicking it out the way." Ash then carried on walking to the stage. Drew clenched his teeth and his hands curled into fists, turning round he ran up behind Ash throwing a punch at the back of his head.

Ash's eyes shone light blue briefly as he tilted his head out of the way and as Drew's fist passed by his face he grabbed Drew's wrist, spun round and twisted Drew's arm behind his back. Drew's expression went from anger to shock. Ash then started to speak without thinking as he let his anger towards Drew out, all of the dislike and fury that Ash had held for Drew since they first met fuelled his words "I care for May more than anything else in the world and I won't let anything hurt her so long as I can do something to stop it. Don't bother May again. If I find out that you've upset her in any way then you'll have to deal with me. Do you understand me?" Drew nodded nervously "Leave. May. Alone." _Why did I just say that _Ash thought releasing Drew's arm and walking to the stage, _Where did that come from? Do I really feel that way? Think about it later I've got an appeal to do._

Ash walked out on to the stage and said to Julia "I can move the statue so there's no need for a break." Before Julia could say anything Ash then took a Pokéball from his belt and threw it in to the middle of the stage.

"I Choose You, Lucario." The Pokéball burst open releasing a tall jackal-like Pokémon with blue and black fur covering his head, arms, legs and tail, white fur on its chest, spikes coming out of the backs of his paws and the centre of his chest, glowing red eyes and four black appendages coming from the back of his head (these were used to sense aura). The aura Pokémon stood on the stage ready for anything.

May had been asking Pikachu question about what Ash had been up to over the past three years but Pikachu wouldn't say answer any of them. When May saw Ash walk on to the stage both she and Pikachu cheered and she wanted to see exactly what Ash was going to do and which Pokémon he was going to use. As Lucario appeared on the stage May flashed back to what Lucy had said earlier about Ash going to Rota and their adventure with Sir Aaron's Lucario. _I'll have to ask Ash about this later and I won't stop until he tell why he went to Rota. _May thought _I wonder what he's going to do._

"Lucario can you use Psychic to move that statue off the stage." Lucario nodded and briefly closed its eyes before opening them again. His eyes glowing blue Lucario raised an arm and pointed it at the glass Onix a blue light enveloped the statue as it rose from the ground and floated off the stage. Lucario's eyes returned to their usual red as he waited for further instructions. Ash turned to Julia and asked

"Can I start my appeal now?"

Julia smiled, turned to the audience and spoke into her microphone

"Okay everyone it's time for the final appeal from Ash Ketchum." She waved an arm in Ash's direction as she walked off the stage.

Ash took a deep breath and looked at Lucario. Without speaking they understood each other and what they needed to do.

"Lucario use Aura Sphere." Lucario jumped into the air his paws close together as he concentrated his energy in to a ball before firing it and doing it again so that two Aura Spheres where above him. The Aura Spheres were a deeper blue than a normal Aura Sphere.

"Now use Bone Rush." Lucario put his paws together then pulled them apart while forming a bone of glowing blue energy.

"Push Bone Rush into the Aura Spheres." Ash said as the audience watched Lucario put either end of the Bone Rush into the Aura Spheres causing the Bone Rush to look like a baton as he landed at the centre of the stage.

"Okay Lucario you know what to do now." With that being said Lucario then started to spin the combined attacks around his body while jumping and spinning in the air. This display caused gasps of wonder and awe from the audience at the speed, agility and ability of Lucario.

"Lucario launch the Aura Spheres." Ash cried as Lucario flicked the Bone Rush hard firing the Aura Spheres back into the air.

"Now Dark Pulse." Lucario put his paws together forming a ball of black and purple energy before firing a beam of black circle surrounded by purple energy at the Aura Spheres causing them to burst in a shower of blue, black and purple sparks that fell to the ground.

_It's beautiful _thought May _Where did he learn to do something like that? That's just something else I'll have to question him about. _

"Now Lucario lets finish it use Psychic on the sparks." Lucario's eyes glowed blue once more as he used Psychic to bring the sparks together and shape them to look like another Lucario. The audience, judges and contestants all watched in stunned silence as the two Lucario turned and bowed to the judges, the audience and finally Ash who returned the bow. Lucario then stopped using Psychic and let the spark fizzle out of existence.

The audience exploded from their seats cheering and applauding for the spectacle they had just seen, the judges were also standing and clapping as Julia tried to regain control so she could get the judge's comments.

In the contestants room May way on her feet clapping and cheering for Ash with Pikachu perched on her shoulder with a large grin on his face. Drew stood at the back of the room rubbing his sore shoulder and glaring at the screen in disgust.

"Now let's hear what our judges have to say shall we." Said Julia after calming the audience down.

"This has to be the finest appeal I have ever seen and the ending was totally unexpected." Mr Contesta said.

"I can't put in to words how wonderful this appeal was." Said Mr Greystone.

"After all my years as a trainer I have never seen a trainer and his Pokémon so in sync." Said Lucy.

Once again the audience stood up applauding. Ash stood there embarrassed scratching the back of his head before waving.

"Thank you ash now we'll take a short break so the judges can decide which four co-ordinators will continue on to the next stage." Julia shouted so she could be heard above the audience. Ash returned Lucario and walked back to the contestant's room to wait for the judge's decision.

As Ash entered the room he was knocked down by a blur which wrapped itself around him. It was May. The other co-ordinators just stared at Ash in awe. Pikachu jumped from his place on May's shoulder back to Ash's squeaking his approval at the appeal.

"Ash that was amazing. When did you get a Lucario? Where did you learn how to do that?" May asked.

"I'd like to know that as well." Said a voice at the back. Looking towards it Ash saw that it was Drew that had spoken.

"Well I caught Lucario shortly after I started training 3 years ago. As for where I learnt to do that." Ash started "Do you remember that I said I trained with some really strong trainers?"

"Yes" Drew said impatiently his temper rising.

"One of them was Wallace." Ash finished.

Drew's jaw dropped, his face turned as white as a Togetic and everyone in the room gasped. "You trained with Wallace. Why?" May said in a small voice.

"When I used to watch yours and Dawn's contests along with the few I took part in I realised that if I found a way to combine the two styles, contests and battling, it would improve my own battling style. So when I ran into Wallace while training in Hoenn I asked him for help and he agreed." Hearing how Ash had found her contests inspiring, May jumped from her seat and hugged him. Drew stood at the back of the room glaring at the pair fuming silently as May started asking Ash hundreds of questions about what he learnt from Wallace.

Ten minutes later

Julia walked to the centre of the stage and pointed to the screen above the judges.

"Welcome back everyone the judges have made their decision for which co-ordinators are going to continue to the next stage of the contest. If you look to the screen the chosen four will be revealed now."

Four rectangles appeared on the screen turning over one at a time.

The first showing May's picture.

"Yes I made it!" May squealed.

"Of course you did May you're the best co-ordinator here." Ash said. May blushed and hugged him.

The second showed Drew's picture.

"Well done Drew" Ash said extending his hand. Drew just looked at it and turned away May was about to shout at him but Ash stopped her.

The third showed the picture of a co-ordinator called Sue. She had short curly red hair and green eyes, she wore a short yellow dress and yellow shoes. Her appeal Pokémon was a Beautifly which had used a combination of Silver Wind, Poison Powder and Gust to make a tornado of sparkling powder. May walked over to congratulate her as Ash watched the screen to see who else had passed on to the next stage.

The fourth and final rectangle spun around to reveal Ash's picture.

The other co-ordinators gathered round Ash congratulating him and wishing him good luck. Ash thanked them all and was about to find May when she jumped at him smiling whilst shouting.

"Ash you made it through!"

"Yeah I know I can't really believe it."

"What do you mean? Your appeal was better than any other appeal I've seen before."

"Thanks May but your appeal was better than anything I could ever do." Ash said blushing. May smiled at what Ash had said and wondered why he was blushing.

"Okay now we will match up our semi-finalists for the Battle Stage." Julie announced. The four pictures glided off the screen before reappearing at each of the corners with a vs. between the rectangles on the top corners and another between the rectangles on the bottom corners. "We will now reveal which co-ordinators will be battling each other."

The rectangles turned over reveal that May would be battling first against Sue meaning that Ash would be battling Drew.

"Good Luck May." Ash said "Don't hold back."

"Don't worry Ash I'll win this. Just make sure that I see you in the finals."

"I'll do my best."

May started to make her way to the stage when she suddenly turned walked up to Ash and kissed him on the cheek.

"Good luck to you too." She said before running from the room as a blush started to cover her face. Ash stood their shocked staring at the door with Pikachu waving a paw in front of his trainers face trying to bring him back to reality _What did she do that for? _He thought.

May ran to the stage grinning. _Maybe Lucy was right._ She thought before pushing it to the back of her mind focusing on the battle ahead.

Drew walked out of the room leaving the other co-ordinators and a bewildered Ash to watch the battle between Sue and May. Drew walked out of the contest hall and into a nearby alley before he screamed his frustrations as he kicked and punched the wall _How could she choose that second rate loser over me? I'm smarter, better looking and a stronger trainer. I'll prove it to her by beating that loser then May will see that she made a mistake and come running into my arms._ Drew thought as he stopped hitting the wall and started to laugh manically. After a few minutes he returned to the co-ordinators room to see May's Blaziken land a final Sky Uppercut on Sue's Piplup winning the battle and her place in the final.

* * *

Ash was waiting in the tunnel that led to the stage clapping as May took a bow, returned Blaziken to her Pokéball and shook hands with Sue. May saw Ash standing there and ran towards him.

"Great battle May." He said

"Thanks Ash now it's your turn to win." May replied.

"May? Why did you kiss me before?"

"For good luck." She said "Thank for reminding me." Ash looked at her in confusion as she kissed him on the cheek again, then she turned on her heels and ran back to the co-ordinator's room. Ash stood there dumbfounded blushing and looking at May's retreating figure before Pikachu gave him a small shock to bring him back to reality.

"Thanks buddy. Go sit with May while I'm battling. I'll see you later." He said scratching Pikachu's chin. Pikachu jumped from Ash's shoulder squeaked his encouragement then ran after May.

"Okay, let's do this." Ash said, he turned his focus to his upcoming battle as he walked on to the stage.

* * *

"What a battle!" Said Julia "Our winners are May and Blaziken they will be advancing to the final but who will join them? Well we're about to find out. Please welcome to the stage Drew LaRousse and Ash Ketchum." The audience started clapping as Ash walked on to the stage from the right and Drew came from the left.

"We have five minutes on the timer, our judges are ready, co-ordinators please release your Pokémon." Julia said.

"Roserade Let's go." Drew shouted throwing his Pokéball into the air. His Roserade appeared in a flash of light and twirled in the air before landing on the ground bowing with one arm across it's chest and the other pointing behind.

"Nice to see your Roselia evolved Drew." Ash called across the battle field. "I Choose You Gardevoir." He said throwing his own Pokéball in to the air. The ball opened and in a burst of white light a beautiful humanoid Pokémon appeared. She had green hair that covered one red eye and stopped at her chin. She looked like she was wearing a ball gown and had two red triangles at her waist one at the front and another at the back. She landed on the ground and started to dance round the field curtsying to the judges and the audience before taking her place in front of Ash ready to battle.

"Begin!" Julia shouted

"Roserade use Poison Sting and Petal Dance." Drew said. Roserade spun in a circle and released a flurry of pink petals at Gardevoir followed quickly by a volley of small purple missiles. The Poison Sting struck the petals changing their colour from pink to violet and speeding them up. Ash's point metre dropped slightly but he didn't seem bother by it. Gardevoir stood still as the combined attacks came closer until Ash said in a calm voice "Teleport then use Double Team followed by Psychic." Gardevoir nodded then disappeared in a flash of multi-coloured light evading the attack re-appearing behind Roserade and creating copies of herself until Roserade was surrounded then all of the Gardevoir's eyes glowed blue.

"Your Psychic attack missed." Taunted Drew "Roserade isn't effected."

"Who said Roserade was the target of Psychic." Ash called back pointing towards the ceiling. Drew looked confused and when he looked up his jaw dropped as he realised what Ash meant. He had been so busy watching Gardevoir he didn't notice that Psychic on had been used on Roserade's attack, turning it round and sending it back at the Grass type.

"Roserade dodge it." Drew shouted as he saw that his point metre was dropping. Try as it might where ever Roserade move Gardevoir used Psychic to follow it. The combined Poison Sting, Petal Dance and Psychic collided with Roserade's body and lifted it off the ground.

"Gardevoir use Future Sight." Gardevoir stopped using Double Team and her body glowed light blue for a few seconds before it faded.

"Gardevoir now use Focus Blast." Gardevoir put her hands together in front of her body and formed a ball of light blue energy, which seemed to have a slight pink tinge. She then threw the ball at Roserade just as it landed on the ground with a thud.

"Roserade Dodge it!" Drew cried but it didn't matter as the Focus Blast crashed into Roserade's chest sending it backwards. Drew's points falling to the half way mark.

As Roserade slowly got to its feet Drew knew that Roserade couldn't take much more and he was steadily getting more and more frustrated at how Gardevoir was easily avoiding all of his attacks.

"Roserade use Magical Leaf then Solarbeam." Roserade nodded at its trainer and spun around its roses glowing white launching a multiple glowing green crescent shaped blades of energy at Gardevoir. Then Roserade raised it roses above its head and started to collect energy as its roses glowed white.

"Gardevoir get ready." Ash said waiting for the right moment to act.

"Fire the Solarbeam." Drew shouted. Roserade levelled its roses at Gardevoir and fired the Solarbeam. As Roserade fires the last of the Solarbeam's energy it was hit by Future Sight.

"Now Gardevoir Grass Legend." Ash said with a smile on his face. _Surprise Drew I've learnt a lot while I've been away _he thought. Everyone in the contest hall looked confused whereas Drew's face showed a very worried look as he saw that time was quickly running out and his point metre was low while Ash's was still above half. _How's he beating me? What's this Grass Legend? I've never heard of any move by that name. _He thought.

* * *

"Grass Legend? What's that?" May said looking at Pikachu. "Do you know what it is?"

"Pika" said the electric type nodding and pointing back at the screen not wanting May to miss it.

* * *

Gardevoir's eyes filled with blue energy and the same blue energy surrounded Magical Leaf and Solarbeam twisting the energies together and shaping them into the form of Celebi. This final move caused the audience and the judges to give Ash a standing ovation at how skilled his Pokémon was and at how imaginative he was to create a move like that. Drew's point metre dropped to zero and Gardevoir moved the Celebi shaped attack, which had the combined power of Magical Leaf, Solarbeam and Psychic, towards the worn out Roserade, knocking it out and winning Ash the match.

"Ladies and Gentlemen the co-ordinator moving onto the final is Ash Ketchum having both depleted his opponent's points and knocked out his Pokémon." Julia shouted into her microphone so that she could be heard over the cries of the audience. "We'll now take a short Break so both of our finalists can heal their Pokémon before they battle to see who will win the Pewter Ribbon."

Drew looked at his Pokémon lying on the ground spirals in its eyes and fell to his knees as the light and sound of the contest fall faded_ How? How did he do it?_ Drew thought. Drew was snapped out of his daze when he saw that Ash was standing in front of him with his hand outstretched.

"Great battle Drew." He said. Drew just stared at Ash's hand before returning Roserade standing up and walking away from his opponent.

"This isn't over Ketchum." Drew called over his shoulder as he left the contest hall.

May ran from the co-ordinators room with Pikachu trailing behind her. When she got to the stage she saw Drew walking from the stage while Ash stood there with his hand out and a confused look on his face. May walked onto the stage and tapped Ash on the shoulder. Turning round he smiled when he saw May standing behind him and said to her "Looks like we made it."

Gardevoir turned to see May as well and hid behind Ash looking scared.

"It's okay Gardevoir this is May. She's one of my best friends you don't have to be shy around her." Ash said to his Pokémon. Gardevoir slowly stepped out from behind Ash and nodded to May.

"Nice to meet you Gardevoir." May said to the shy Embrace Pokémon. "Ash where did you meet Gardevoir?"

"I met Gardevoir in Johto. I'll tell you the full story later." Ash said with a look that told May there was more to the story of how Gardevoir joined his team.

"Why was Gardevoir's Focus Blast blue and pink?" May asked changing the subject.

"I have no idea it's always been like that. I asked Professor Oak about it and he didn't know either." Ash replied

"Gardevoir return for now. I'm so proud of you. Get some rest." Ash said as he raised Gardevoir's Pokéball returning the Psychic-type.

May turned her attention back to Ash.

"Both of us in the final of a contest just like the Terracotta Contest." May said protruding something from her pocket, it was her half of the Terracotta Ribbon that she and Ash had won years before. The pink and white ribbon was still clean and the semi-circle of orange metal shone in the light.

"It's good to see you've still got your half." Ash said

"Of course I've still got it it's my good luck charm I carry it all of the time. What about you? Where's your half?" May asked.

Ash reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and brought out his half of the ribbon, it was in the same condition as May's.

"I keep it with in my pocket during every battle." Ash said staring at his half of the ribbon. "It's been with me since we won it, I keep it in my bag when I'm not battling." He started to blush as he said that.

_Ash is cute when he blushes. _Thought May _I think Lucy was right about how I feel about him._

* * *

Ash and May walked off the stage and healed their Pokémon then after wishing each other good luck May went to the other tunnel so that when she was called to the stage she would be ready. Ash stood watching May walking away and felt a strange sadness seeing May's retreating figure._ What is happening to me_ he thought _I'll figure it out later right now I need to focus on the battle._

"Pikachu can you go find Brock and stay with him during the battle. Okay?" he said looking at the yellow mouse on his shoulder.

"Pika." Pikachu said as he jumped from Ash's shoulder and running down the corridor before stopping, turning back and looking directly at his trainer.

"Pikapi Pika Chu Kachu Pika." Ash laughed.

"Thanks buddy. I'll need all the Luck I can get battling May."

Pikachu smiled at Ash then turned and ran to find Brock.

* * *

"Can Ash Ketchum and May Maple please report to their entrance tunnels the final battle will start shortly." An announcement said over the speakers.

"Okay. It's now or never. Hope your ready May cause I'm not going to hold back." Ash muttered under his breath. Little did he know that on the other side of the contest hall may had said the same thing about him.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. I welcome you to the Final of the Pewter City Contest. The winner of this battle will win this Pewter Ribbon." Julia shouted while holding the ribbon above her head. The audience was even larger than it had been during the appeals and semi-finals put together. "Now without further ado welcome on to the stage the Princess of Hoenn, the co-ordinator who placed second in last year's Sinnoh Grand Festival losing to Solidad by only a few points give it up for MAY MAPLE!" Julia pointed to one of the tunnels and May walked out waving to the cheers of the audience _There was no need to mention the fact that I lost to Solidad._ May thought while she smiled and waved as she walked to the centre of the stage.

"And now for our second finalist. He isn't a co-ordinator which makes the fact he's in the final all that more amazing. He's an accomplished Pokémon Trainer who has competed in five Pokémon League Tournaments, beaten the Orange League and the Kanto Battle Frontier so let me hear you welcome to the stage ASH KETCHUM!" Julia pointed to the other tunnel and Ash walked to the stage waving sheepishly, when he saw the amount of people, while the audience clapped and cheered. Seeing how uncomfortable Ash was May started to clap and cheer for him as well, when Ash saw May clapping for him he felt his confidence rising like it did when he was in a battle. He carried on waving but this time he was thinking of the audience as one that would go to the Pokémon League not the Grand Festival. He walked with more confidence and when he reached the centre of the stage he looked at May and mouthed the words _Thank You._

Ash and May shook hands then went to their positions on the battlefield and waited for the match to start.

"Please release your Pokémon." Julia said

"Blaziken Take to the stage!" May cried as she spun throwing a Pokéball into the air. The ball opened and released a tall Pokémon which somersaulted before landing in a fighting stance. Blaziken was mostly red with cream coloured feathers on her chest and top of her head which continued down her back and looked like May's hair style. Blaziken's hands were grey with flames erupting from the wrists and she had yellow feathers from her knees to her feet.

"Gardevoir I Choose You!" Ash shouted and he launched his Pokéball into the air at the same time as May releasing his Gardevoir, who twirled in the air and once again curtsied to the judges before turning and doing the same to May and Blaziken.

"Now we have five minutes on the clock. Begin the battle." Julia announced.

"Blaziken use Quick Attack." Blaziken ran forward at high speed leaving a trail of white light behind.

"Gardevoir Teleport." Gardevoir glowed with multi-coloured light and disappeared just before Blaziken hit, reappearing on the other side of the battlefield. "Now use Focus Blast." Gardevoir formed a ball of energy between her hands and threw it at Blaziken.

"Blaziken" May called "Send it back with Blaze Kick."

Blaziken's foot burst in to flames as she pivoted on her other leg and kicked the Focus Blast back to Gardevoir but now it was covered in flames.

"Gardevoir Magical Leaf." Ash said calmly. Gardevoir nodded and spun round releasing a flurry of leaves made of energy. They shot towards the Focus Blast and when they collided both attacks burst into a shower of multi-coloured sparks.

May looked at the points to see that hers had taken a steep dive while Ash's points were only slightly less than full. _I've got to think of something quickly. _May thought_ It's a good job I made him promise not to use and of those legend moves he's thought up. I wonder what the other are. _

"Blaziken get close with Quick Attack then use the move you just learnt." May said to the Blaze Pokémon. Blaziken nodded and once again shot straight towards Gardevoir with one hand covered in a black energy.

"Gardevoir use Future Sight. Then use Teleport to dodge." Ash said Gardevoir glowed light blue for a few seconds but before she could Teleport to safety Blaziken struck with her energy covered hand multiple times causing Gardevoir to cry out in pain and collapsing to the floor.

"May's Blaziken has just delivered an assault of Night Slash attacks to Gardevoir." Said Julia.

"GARDEVOIR" Ash shouted "Are you okay?" His points had dropped but he didn't care, he only cared if his Pokémon was alright. Gardevoir slowly rose to her feet and nodded to Ash.

"Are you sure you're okay" He asked again. In response to this Gardevoir formed an orb of pink energy between her hands and held it close to her body the pink energy was absorbed in to her body and Gardevoir stood up showing hardly any sign of Blaziken's attack.

"Amazing" Julia said into her microphone "Gardevoir just used Heal Pulse on herself."

"Gardevoir do you want to continue?" Ash asked. Gardevoir replied by forming a ball of black energy and throwing it at Blaziken."

"Blaziken dodge it and use Flamethrower." Blaziken jumped high into the air over the Shadow Ball and opened her mouth to launch a torrent of fire at Gardevoir but found she was unable to move. A blue light surrounded Blaziken's body, Gardevoir had used Psychic on Blaziken.

"Blaziken Use Flare Blitz to break out of Psychic." Blaziken's body erupted in fire causing Gardevoir's hold to break and Blaziken to fall to the ground before charging towards Gardevoir.

"Double Team and Teleport." Ash said. Gardevoir created multiple copies of herself then all of them started disappearing and reappearing around the battlefield. Blaziken stopped her attack and stood in the middle of the field looking at all of the Gardevoir. May looked on in confusion _How am I going to find the real one._

"Now use Shadow Ball." All of the Gardevoir formed a ball of dark energy and launched them towards Blaziken.

"Blaziken jump as high as you can!" Shouted May. Crouching low Blaziken put all of her strength into her legs as she jumped above all of the Shadow Balls. May knew what she had to do to stop Gardevoir. "Now use Overheat on the field!" Blaziken flipped in the air and released a blast of red and white fire. The blast hit the centre of the field it spread out covering the field and the copies of Gardevoir in a wave of fire.

When the fire faded from existence the field was scorched black and Gardevoir stood in front of Ash breathing heavily and Blaziken landed in front of May in a similar condition.

"Gardevoir use Focus Blast."

"Blaziken use Quick Attack then use Night Slash."

As Gardevoir charged a ball of energy Blaziken ran forward with her hand being covered with dark energy. When Blaziken was half way across the field Future Sight hit causing her to stumble slightly before carrying on with the attack.

"Gardevoir release the Focus Blast now" cried Ash knowing that if Blaziken's attack hit Gardevoir would be knocked out. Gardevoir threw her attack as Blaziken's hit. A cloud of dust and smoke came from the collision and the timer went off.

"The time has run out for this match. When the smoke clears the winner will be decided." Julia said.

May looked at the board and saw that both she and Ash had lost all of their points. Ash didn't look at the screen he just stared into the dust cloud trying to see what was happening. Eventually the cloud cleared to reveal that both Gardevoir and Blaziken were still on their feet but they were leaning on each other for support. Ash and May ran to their Pokémon only to find that both of them were knocked out.

"Both Gardevoir and Blaziken are unable to battle." Julia announced "And both of our finalists have lost all of their points so I have to announce that this contest ends with a draw. Please give our winners and their Pokémon a round of applause." The audience stood up giving both Ash and May a standing ovation. "We'll now go to our judges to hear their comments." Julia finished.

Mr Contesta said "I've seen a lot of contest finals but I have to say that I've never seen one where the finalists have battled as hard as they have today."

Mr Greystone added "This is the first time I've judged a contest and I have to say I'm glad to have judged this one."

Lucy ended the judge's comments by saying "Both of these trainers should be proud of their Pokémon and like Mr Greystone I'm glad I was here to see this final. It was absolutely amazing."

* * *

"Now we will present the Pewter Ribbon." Julia said.

Mr Contesta stood in front of Ash and May before saying "We only have the one Ribbon sorry we didn't even consider that there could be a draw."

"That's okay." Ash said "May can have the Ribbon." May looked at Ash surprised.

"But Ash you won it as much as I did."

"May I only entered this contest for a bit of fun. I didn't think I'd win. You keep the Ribbon."

"Okay if you're sure." May said reaching slowly for the Ribbon.

"I'm sure." He said with a smile. The crowd applauded Ash's generosity.

"We'll now reveal the special prize." Julia said as a man walked onto the stage holding a large box.

The man gave the box to Ash then walked off the stage.

"The special prize is this…" Julia said lifting the top of the box off "Pokémon Egg." The egg sat inside a contained with a rounded top with a shrunken Pokéball on top. The egg itself was a pale cream colour with a flame like pattern around the base.

Ash when to pass the egg to May but she said "No Ash. It's only fair that you get the egg if I get the Ribbon." Ash say the look on May's face and knew better than to try and argue with her.

"Ladies and Gentleman I present to you the winners of the Pewter City Contest. Ash Ketchum and May Maple." The audience erupted in cheers and applause as May waved and Ash stood next to her looking uncomfortable and staring at his new egg. May grabbed Ash's hand and started to wave it for him.

* * *

After leaving the contest hall Ash and May went to the Pokémon Centre to heal their Pokémon and to get the egg checked. They sat on one of the couches while they waited. May kept looking at her new ribbon and feeling slightly guilty that she should have it went both she and Ash had won it together.

"Ash do you have Sceptile with you?" May asked.

"Not right now. Why?"

"I want us to share this ribbon like the Terracotta Ribbon."

"May I want you to keep it. I want you to have the egg as well. You deserve them, you entered the contest as a warm up for the Grand Festival, I only entered it for fun."

"No Ash if your making me keep the ribbon then you are keeping the egg it's only fair." May's tone told Ash that it was in his best interests not to argue.

"Okay May I'll keep the egg."

"Ash, May congratulations on winning the contest." When they heard the familiar voice Ash and May turned to see Brock and Lucy entering the Pokémon Centre and walking towards them holding hands.

"Thanks Brock." They said together before blushing as they realised what they had done. Brock and Lucy shared look that said _They need to get together as soon as possible._ Brock and Lucy sat on the couch opposite Ash and May.

"Ash you said you'd explain about Lucario and Gardevoir after the contest. So spill it." May said. Ash leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees.

"Okay I'll start with Lucario. I was travelling around Sinnoh and I'd just left Veilstone City when I saw a group of Seviper attacking a Pokémon so I sent Pikachu, Gible and Donphan keep the Seviper busy while I got the Pokémon. When I managed to get to the Pokémon I saw that it was a Riolu I picked it up, started to run back to the Pokémon Centre and told Pikachu and the others to follow me and keep the Seviper back. Eventually we out ran them and I got Riolu to Nurse Joy. Riolu was in intensive care for a couple of days." Ash's voice wavered slightly as he remembered the fear he had for Riolu's safety. May placed her hand on Ash's shoulder. "I stayed by Riolu's side until he woke up and I realised that I had met him before." Brock leaned forward, his eyes narrowing more than they usually were.

"Ash it's the Riolu we met that could use Aura Sphere isn't it." He asked.

"Yes. Riolu recognised me and started to explain what had happened. He had trained another Riolu as a replacement and started to travel on his own to become stronger. He had been travelling for about a year when he crossed into territory belonging to the Seviper and they had been chasing and attacking him for nearly a week when I found him. I stayed at the Pokémon Centre for a couple of weeks until he was fully recovered. Riolu would watch me training and Nurse Joy let him out a couple of times so he joined in. When I was about to leave Riolu walked out with me and I asked if he could come with me. Riolu jumped on to my shoulder and said yes. When I was travelling in Unova a couple of months later, near Twist Mountain, Riolu was training and I accidentally got between a Beartic and its baby it went to attack me so I ran but got cornered in a cave when Riolu came running in and hit Beartic from behind with an Aura Sphere. They started to fight and to start with they were evenly matched but the Beartic was stronger and soon Riolu was knocked to the ground and Beartic turned back on me. Suddenly a bright light filled the cave I saw that it was coming from Riolu he evolved into a Lucario used Extremespeed to get between me and the Beartic then launched the strongest Aura Sphere I've ever sensed. Beartic was sent flying out of the cave and last time I saw it Beartic was running into the surrounding forest. Lucario has been getting stronger and stronger since then."

"You said 'sensed'". Lucy said "What did you mean by that?" Ash looked at her before taking a breath.

"I have the ability to use aura I can talk to Lucario using it and with a lot of concentration and energy I can make a small Aura Sphere. I found out about having this ability while I was travelling around the Battle Frontier and we visited Rota. I found out that I share the same aura as Sir Aaron, an aura guardian who died a long time ago."

"How did you find that out?" Lucy asked.

"I won a tournament and was named as 'Hero of the Year'. I was told to sit in the chair that belonged to Sir Aaron and given his staff to hold. While I held the staff Sir Aaron's Lucario came out of the jewel that's set into its head. The Lucario told me that I shared the Aura with Sir Aaron."

"I think I understand but…" Lucy started to say.

"I'll tell you the whole story later Lucy. Let Ash finish his story." Brock interrupted knowing that the details of that particular adventure shouldn't be mentioned in public.

"That's the end of Lucario's story." Ash said.

"Okay then now tell us Gardevoir's." May pressed eager to learn more about Ash's adventures and his new Pokémon.

"Gardevoir's story isn't a happy one to begin with. Are you sure that you want to hear it?"

"Yes. Please tell us."

"Alright May. I was in Johto a couple of years ago and travelling towards Mahogany Town and near the end of Mt Mortar when I saw a trainer he was about 16-17 years old and was wearing biker leathers his Pokémon were attacking a Ralts. There was an Aggron, Tauros, Ursaring, Ariados and Skarmory all attacking the Ralts, the trainer was throwing rocks as well. I ran up to him and told him to stop but he just laughed and said he was training his Pokémon then he told me to get lost. I could see the pain Ralts was in, she was on the ground, she couldn't stand so I sent out every Pokémon I had, knocked out his Pokémon, grabbed Ralts and ran the rest of the way to Mahogany Town ran into the Pokémon Centre and told Nurse Joy what had happened. She had Blissey run Ralts into the emergency room while she contacted Officer Jenny so I could tell her what happened. When Officer Jenny came to the Pokémon Centre I told her where I found the trainer, what he was doing and what I'd done to get Ralts to Nurse Joy. After that Officer Jenny went looking for him and I waited to see if Ralts was going to be okay. A few hours later Officer Jenny came back with the trainer, that's when I learnt that Ralts was one of his Pokémon." Ash stopped talking and took a few deep breaths to calm himself before continuing. "I signed a statement about what I saw and Nurse Joy filed a report confirming how Ralts had gotten her injuries, the trainer had all of his Pokémon taken away and his trainer licence revoked. Officer Jenny said that his Pokémon would be kept under surveillance for a while to make sure that they got along alright with the wild Pokémon and Ralts would be released when she was better. I was about to leave but Ralts wouldn't let anyone close to her except me so I stayed with her while Nurse Joy treated her. When she was well enough to be released Officer Jenny came to the Pokémon Centre with Ralts' Pokéball but Ralts hid behind me whenever Officer Jenny came close to return her. Then I heard a voice in my head it was Ralts she said that she only trusted me and asked if she could come with me. After everything she'd been through I knew that I had to help her so I asked Officer Jenny for the Pokéball and told Ralts that if she wanted to come with me than she had to be released from her old Pokéball before I could catch her. She nodded and went into the Pokéball I released her from it then held one of my Pokéballs in front of her asked if she was sure and she just pressed the button and I caught a Ralts. She evolved into a Kirlia a year later while we were training and then she evolved in to a Gardevoir a couple of weeks ago. She's a bit scared of people she doesn't know, that's why she hid behind me earlier when you came to the Stage May. It took a few weeks before she was comfortable around my mom and whenever I was changing Pokémon I introduced her to Professor Oak so that if I needed to send her to Pallet Town for any reason, she would be okay with him."

"She seemed okay during your battles." Lucy pointed out.

"That's because she focuses on her opponent and my voice. She said that it helps her deal with the amount of people watching and it keeps her calm." Ash explained. "I don't know why that is and she won't tell me."

"That's such a sad story." May said, drying her eyes as tears had started to form. "But it has a happy ending. You're her hero."

"Hero?" Ash said. "I'm not a hero I just wanted to help."

"May's right Ash. You saved Gardevoir from an abusive trainer and cared for her. You're her hero." Lucy said. Brock nodded in agreement.

"Ash the number of adventures you've been on, like when you were in the Orange Islands and helped Lugia stop the Pokémon collector or when you stopped Celebi when it had been turned evil." Brock said both Lucy and May looked between the two men in amazement and confusion at the mention of these adventures and the legendary Pokémon they had met. Brock turned to Lucy "I'll explain it all to you later." Before turning back to Ash and saying "You do whatever you need to to help people and Pokémon. I've seen you nearly die to save them. Whether you like it not you are a hero."

Ash looked at Brock.

"Do you remember when we travelled around Kanto and we couldn't remember how we got to that ferry port?" He asked.

"Yes just about. Why?" Brock answered.

"I remember how we got there. While I was in Rota I did some aura training and that unlocked the memories."

"What do you mean unlocked."

"If you want I can unlock yours as well."

"Sure what do I need to do?"

"You don't have to do anything." Ash said as he placed his hand on Brock's forehead and a light blue aura covered his hand. Brock tensed slightly as images started to flash through his mind Ash battling a trainer, a Dragonite delivering a message, arriving at the ferry port during a storm, Team Rocket dressed as Vikings, a large cat like Pokémon that could talk, black Pokéballs that captured all of their Pokémon, something about cloning, Ash walking out of a cloud of smoke followed by the captured Pokémon, a small pink cat like Pokémon that flew and giggled, all the Pokémon fighting tooth and claw except for Pikachu and the Meowth, Ash running between the two cat like Pokémon as they fought, Ash being caught in the blast and dying and finally the tears of all the Pokémon bringing Ash back from the dead. Tears ran down Brock's cheeks as he remembered all of the pain that he felt seeing his best friend die in front of his eyes.

"I…I remember." Brock said as Ash leaned back in his seat looking tired. "You…you…"

"Brock we can talk about it later. In private." Ash interrupted. May and Lucy exchanged confused glances wondering what Bock was about to say.

"Ash Ketchum, May Maple your Pokémon and egg are ready." Nurse Joy said halting the conversation. As the group walked up to the counter to collect their Pokémon Lucy noticed the time and said.

"It's getting late lets go back to the house and get some rest."

"We've got a room here." Ash said.

"We don't want to impose." May said.

"You won't be imposing." Brock assured them. "It will give us time to talk." The last part directed at Ash.

"Okay Brock if you're sure." Ash replied knowing what Brock wanted to talk about "I'll tell Nurse Joy that we don't need the room anymore." Just as Ash started to walk back to the desk he felt someone grab his hand turning round he saw that May was holding his hand. She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek before whispering.

"Drew's just walked in." Ash nodded slightly to show he understood. Then both of them walked to the desk and told Nurse Joy that they wouldn't need the room as they were staying with Brock. They walked out of the Pokémon Centre, past Drew without saying anything. Ash pulled Brock to one side.

"Brock you can't say anything to Lucy about Mewtwo. We made a promise to him never to tell anyone about him. When I get to Cerulean City I'll offer Misty the chance to remember, knowing her she'll want her memories back so we can talk to each other about what happened but no-one else."

"What about May? She'll want to know what you're doing."

"I don't know. I'll think of something and let you know in case she asks you about it."

"Hey what are you two talking about?" May said noticing they had fallen behind her and Lucy.

"Just telling Brock how badly he's going to lose in our match tomorrow." Ash answered quickly. May seemed to accept the answer and turned back to Lucy to continue their conversation.

When they arrived at Brock's house they sat down and told Lucy about Lucario, the Tree of Beginning and Ash's aura. When a question about the unlocked memories came up Brock looked at Ash nervously and Ash just said that during the time they travelled around Kanto a Psychic Pokémon that wanted to stay hidden had blocked their memories of him. When pushed for more information about the Pokémon Ash replied that the memory of the Pokémon was still hidden from their minds and might never come back. Eventually they decided that it was time to get some sleep. When Ash went to close the curtains of the room he was sleeping in, he saw a figure standing amongst the nearby trees even though he couldn't see the figure's face he knew who it was.

As he drifted off to sleep he heard a deep voice in his head say **_Soon we will meet again._** That night Ash dreamt of his time on New Island remembering how he had willingly sacrificed his life for his friends and Pokémon along with Pokémon he didn't know and he knew one thing for certain if it ever came to it he would do it again.

* * *

**I'm going to have Ash and May capture some new Pokémon if there are any you want to see let me know but I'm not going to have them catch any Legendaries. I'm also thinking that I might have Ash catch an Electric Type but I don't know if i should or not. What do you think?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry about the long update period but I've just started a new job and I don't get as much time to write as I'd like.**

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed I means alot to me that you like my story and can I ask you to keep reviewing as they help inspire me.**

**Here's Chapter 4 Enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 4

Rock and Rollout

Waking early the next morning Ash saw it was 5:30 so he decided to get his morning exercises out of the way before anyone else woke up, he saw that Pikachu was still sleeping and decided to let his partner get more rest. He quickly got washed and changed before quietly leaving the house and jogging into the city. As he made his jogged along Ash thought about which Pokémon he should use for his gym battle _I could go for type advantage but Brock probably has a strategy for that, I could repeat history and use Pikachu but I don't think he'll want to fight Brock. What am I going to do? _He also thought about what Brock had said last night, how he had felt different after what had happened, like a part of him was missing, even though he didn't know his memories were blocked and how he felt complete now. Ash had felt the same and now wondered if Misty felt like that as well. Shaking those thought from his mind Ash continued his jog returning his thought to the gym battle, once he reached the Pokémon Centre he turned round and jogged back towards Brock's house.

When he was close to the gym, Ash turned and jogged into the nearby woods. He found a small clearing to begin his other exercises, the jog was his way of stretching before he started doing press-ups. After 20 minutes he stood up and walked to a tree at the edge of the clearing, he then grabbed hold of a branch and started doing chin-ups. Ash proceeded through his work-out routine for the next couple of hours as he was still deciding how to battle Brock. Ash was lost in thought as time passed quickly while he trained. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice a hooded figure watching him through the trees. Eventually the figure moved into the clearing, seeing this movement Ash quickly dropped into a defensive stance ready to defend himself.

**_I mean you no harm. _**The figure said. **_I only wish to talk._**

"Who are you?" Ash asked staring at the figure, who wore a full body cloak with a hood hiding their face. Ash knew that something wasn't right as he could hear the figures voice in his head, as if the person couldn't talk with their mouth.

**_We have met before._** The figure said as he removed his hood. Ash then noticed that the figure was floating slightly above the ground and his hand only had three short round fingers. Ash relaxed his stance when he saw the figures face. The figure had purple eyes and his skin was a pale purple. He had two horn like protrusions on the top of his head.

"It's been a while hasn't it Mewtwo. How have you been?" Ash asked.

**_I have been well. I've travelled the world trying to find a place in it for me. _**Mewtwo answered.

"Have you found one?"

**_I'm still looking_** Mewtwo said sadly **_But I have a reason for talking to you now._**

"What's that?"

**_I know that you remember our first meeting and that you have given your friend his memories back. Are you going to do the same with your other friend?_**

"If she wants me to then I will. How did you know I remembered?"

**_It was my psychic powers that blocked your memories, when you removed the block I sensed it. I am curious though how did you remove the block?_**

"I have the ability to use Aura and underwent training so I could use it. During that training I had to meditate and learn to use Aura instinctively, while I was meditating I felt a barrier in my mind, I used my Aura to break the barrier down and the memories of New Island flooded back to me. I remembered that you blocked our memories to protect yourself and that when we met again at Mt Quena you mentioned something about knowing me already."

Mewtwo looked at Ash and smiled slightly.

**_You have changed greatly yet you are still the same person I met all those years ago. The reason that I have come to talk to you now is that I wish to try and make amends. On New Island you died to stop the fighting, I was my power that killed you, for that I am eternally sorry, I know I have no right to ask for forgiveness and that you are under no obligation to give it I should have given you your memories back after the events at Mt Quena, as you proved that you would do all in your power to protect Pokémon on matter their origins. _**Mewtwo reached inside his cloak and pulled out a Pokéball **_This is a small offering in relation to what transpired that day but I hope that it will go some way to earning absolution. _**Mewtwo gave Ash the Pokéball. Mewtwo continued solemnly **_Inside is a dear friend and I told her what I planned to do and she has agreed. Take good care of her and she will prove to be a grand addition to your team. The two of you have met before but only briefly and she was impressed by your attitude towards Pokémon and how you battled. I have already registered her as one of your Pokémon on your trainer profile. _**

Ash looked at the Pokéball in his hand then turned his gaze to Mewtwo. "Mewtwo I made my choice that day and if I had to I would do it again. There's no need to you to seek forgiveness as I don't blame you for what happened. You don't need to give me anything there's only one thing I can ask you for and that is your friendship." Ash offered the Pokéball back to Mewtwo.

The Psychic type chuckled softly shaking his head **_I have not met many humans but I wish that they were all like you. Keep the Pokéball she will be happier with you then she would with me. Now tell me what do I need to give for this friendsh… _**Mewtwo stopped and quickly turned to look into the trees **_Someone is coming. They are looking for you. _**Mewtwo floated to stand between Ash and the trees **_I will take care of them. _**His body became enveloped by the blue light of his psychic powers as he formed a Shadow Ball between his hands. Ash used his Aura to try and find out who was coming towards them, Ash reached out with it and recognised the life force of the approaching person.

"Mewtwo stop its okay. It's a friend."

Mewtwo dissolved his attack and moved to the side but remained ready to fight if he needed to.

From the tree line came a small yellow mouse with a lightning bolt like tail. Pikachu saw his trainer and ran to him but quickly stopped when he saw Mewtwo. Following behind Pikachu was May and as she entered the clearing she stopped when she saw Mewtwo, May slowly reached for a Pokéball but Mewtwo saw the movement and levitated her into the air.

"Mewtwo put May down I told you she's a friend." Mewtwo looked at Ash before nodding and lower May back to the ground.

"Ash what's going on? Is that one of your new Pokémon?" May asked worry evident in her voice.

"No May. This is Mewtwo, he's an old friend." Ash replied. "We met during my journey in Kanto." Ash turned to the Psychic type. "Mewtwo this is May. She's one of my best friends, we met when I when to Hoenn."

May walked into the middle of the clearing and stood next to Ash. "Nice to meet you Mewtwo."

**_It is nice to meet you too._**

May jumped upon hearing Mewtwo speak. "Y-You can talk."

**_Yes I can._**

"How did you two meet?" May said after composing herself. Ash looked at Mewtwo to see I he should tell May the truth. Mewtwo nodded his head thinking to himself _If he trusts this girl then she can be trusted to keep my secret, like his other friends have for the last ten years.._

"May let's sit down this story might take a while." May nodded and sat on the ground with Ash next to her. Ash then told May the truth behind Mewtwo's origins and his meeting with the Psychic type. When May heard how Ash, Brock and Misty braved the storm and found that they had been invited to New Island by Mewtwo only to have their Pokémon taken from them she gasped and glared at Mewtwo. Seeing the look on her face Mewtwo looked away from the pair with a shameful look on his face. May started crying when Ash told her how the pokemon started fighting tooth and claw, he had to stop and comfort her when he said that he had died trying to stop the fighting. Ash continued the story when May had stopped crying and told how the tears of the Pokémon had brought him back to life. May was amazed to hear that the tears of Pokémon had the power to bring people back to life, even after all of the things she had seen during her adventures with Ash. Ash also told May about how Mewtwo had moved himself and the cloned Pokémon to Mt Quena, how he met them again whilst he travelled through Johto and helping Mewtwo and the clones battle against Team Rocket.

**_Ash and his friends saved my life twice, first he showed me that all humans are not the evil I thought they were and he stopped my path of destruction and vengeance. The second was at Mt Quena as he has just told you, he risked his life again to save myself and my fellow clones without his memory of ever meeting us before. After the battle I allowed Ash and his travelling companions at the time to retain their memories of what happened that day and erased it from the minds of Team Rocket. He is truly the best human I have met and shortly before you arrived, my first human friend._**

May looked at Mewtwo and slowly approached him before stopping in front of him. She smiled, looking him in the eyes as she raised her hand offering it to the psychic type saying "Well then let me be your second human friend." Ash smiled hearing May say this and seeing the shocked look on Mewtwo's face. Mewtwo lifted his own hand and took May's shaking it.

**_I would like that._**

"May why did you come looking for me?" Ash asked.

"Oh yeah. Brock asked me to tell you that it was time for breakfast and straight after you can have your Gym battle."

"That's great but isn't it a little early for breakfast and a gym battle?"

"Ash it's 9:30. How long have you been out here?"

"Well I left the house at 5:30 and jogged into town then came to this clearing to exercise. I didn't think that I'd been here that long. Mewtwo do you want to come and see my gym battle?"

**_Thank you for the offer but I must decline. I only came to talk to you and try to make amends. I leave you now and wish you luck in your battle. _**As Mewtwo started to float higher into the air he stopped and turned to look at Ash. **_Be careful on your journey, as you know there are many dangers in this world I have a feeling of foreboding. I know that there is a tendency for you to become involved in these matters._**Ash laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head._**Goodbye and good luck my friend. **_

Mewtwo continued to float higher into the sky before flying west and disappearing from sight.

* * *

Ash and May sat in silence staring at the sky after Mewtwo had gone before being interrupted by a deep groaning noise. Ash dropped his head and put his arm across his stomach.

"Heh guess I'm hungry." He said sheepishly while May giggled until her stomach groaned as well.

"Guess I'm hungry too." May said blushing. As they stood up May noticed the Pokéball in Ash's hands. "Ash where did you get that Pokéball?"

Ash looked at it, he'd forgotten about it while he told May about his history with Mewtwo. "Mewtwo gave it to me. I don't know what type of Pokémon is in here but I'm going to find out in the Gym battle."

"You're going to use an unknown Pokémon that you've only just got against Brock, a gym leader who has travelled with you for most of your journey and knows your battling style. ARE YOU INSANE?" May exclaimed.

"Calm down May." Ash said cowering slightly. "I know what I'm going to do is stupid and even though I don't know what Pokémon is in this ball I still believe that I can win the battle with her help." May stood looking at Ash in awe of the passion he had spoken with until her stomach groaned again.

"Let's go and have some breakfast." Ash said shrinking the Pokéball and putting it in his pocket as they walked back to the house. They walked in silence and didn't realise that their shoulders kept rubbing and their hands linked up.

When they got back to the house and walked into the kitchen Brock was stood flipping pancakes whilst checking on the bacon and eggs. Lucy was sitting at the table reading a newspaper the headline saying **U.F.O.? **with a picture underneath that looked suspiciously like Team Rocket blasting off. Ash saw this and chuckle slightly drawing Brock and Lucy's attention.

"There you are Ash. When you weren't in your room we were worried. Where did you go?" Brock asked.

"Sorry to worry you. I just went out to exercise and lost track of time." Ash replied.

"Since when do you get up early and exercise? You never did that when we travelled together Pikachu used to have to wake you up."

"While I was away I wanted to get as much training in as possible so I started to get up earlier and I started sparring with my fighting type Pokémon, to keep up with them I needed to get stronger and faster so when they were training I trained with them."

"It's true." May said "When we were in Viridian Forest I woke up and saw Ash exercising." She blushed slightly at the memory of Ash topless. Ash and Brock didn't see her blush but Lucy did and made a note to ask her about it later. "Ash was doing some press-ups then started to do them whilst doing a handstand. He managed to do a couple before I distracted him by clapping, then he fell on his head." May finished laughing at the memory.

Brock raised his eyebrows at how much his friend had changed. "That's impressive until you fell on your head Ash." Everyone laughed at that and Ash told them about the exercise routine he had created over the past three years that let him spar with his Pokémon and kept him in peak condition. Brock nodded knowing that by sparring with your Pokémon was one of the best ways to train them, it was extremely hard to do but worth the effort. "It must be hard to keep in that sort of shape. Just how fit are you now?"

"It is hard work but the results are worth it. If I wanted to I could probably run most of the way back to Pallet Town before needing to take a break." Ash explained earning amazed looks from his friends.

Both May and Lucy thought _That's not the only result of his training _as they could see the shape that Ash was in, muscular but not too the extreme and toned to perfection.

When Brock had finished cooking breakfast they all sat down to eat and saw that even though Ash had changed a lot while he had been away he'd kept his appetite, and it had grown as much as he had because he shovelling food into his mouth like he hadn't eaten in months. May was also eating a lot of food but not to the extent that Ash was, while Pikachu sat next to Ash drinking happily from a ketchup bottle.

"This is great Brock! You should try Ash's cooking it's as good as yours." May said between mouthfuls. Brock nearly choked on his breakfast and Lucy had to pat him on the back.

"Ash can cook?!" Brock said, sounding shocked, after he recovered turning his gaze to his friend. "Since when can you learn to cook? Can I try it? I want to know how good your cooking really is."

"When I was travelling on my own I knew that I would have to learn to cook so before I left home I asked my mom to teach me. It's not as good as yours Brock I told May that but she wouldn't believe me." Ash said "If you want I'll cook lunch after the gym battle but it won't be as good as your cooking."

"I'll take you up on that offer Ash and I'm sure your cooking will be great."

"If you say so Brock."

They continued eating their breakfast making small talk and reminiscing about old adventures. Once they were finished Ash helped Brock clear the plates and listened to the others talking but didn't join in as he was trying to work out what Pokémon could possibly be in the Pokéball Mewtwo had given him. _He said it was a female Pokémon that I've met before and has seen me battle. This Pokémon has been with Mewtwo for along time as well. Who could it be? The Pokémon that Mewtwo had with him the first time were all clones. He wouldn't give me one of the clones, would he?_

"Ash…ASH! Are you listening to me?" May asked snapping Ash out of his thoughts.

"Sorry May I was trying to figure something out." Ash said "What did you say?"

"I asked if you were excited about your Gym battle?"

"Yeah I am. Brock you'd better watch out I've got a few new tricks up my sleeve and I've perfected some of my old ones." Ash said looking at one of his oldest friends.

"You're not the only one who has come up with some tricks over the past couple of years." Brock replied.

"What were you trying to figure out that had you so distracted Ash?" Asked Lucy.

Ash had been hoping that no one would ask him that, thinking quickly he said "Nothing important."

"If you were that distracted by it that you didn't hear May shouting it must have been important. So what was it?" Lucy said pushing the issue.

Ash's mind whirled trying to think up anything that he could say to stop Lucy's questions, just when he was about to say he was thinking about what to make for lunch, _It's a stupid answer but I need to say something. _He thought but before he could open his mouth May interrupted saying "He was just thinking about where he was taking me for dinner tonight." Everyone's head snapped round to look at May, a slight blush across her cheeks, their mouths hanging open. "Before the final yesterday we made a bet if Ash won I had to set up camp for the next two weeks and if I won Ash had to take me on a date to celebrate the win and to keep people believing that we're a couple." She lied as she assumed that Ash had been thinking about the Pokéball that Mewtwo had given him and he'd frozen up not knowing what to say. _What did I say that for? I could have said he was thinking about the gym battle. _May thought to herself. Just when May thought she would die of shame she heard Ash's voice.

"That's right, I didn't want to say anything because I wanted to surprise May." This time everyone turned to look at Ash. May's heart did a little somersault when she heard Ash agree to her idea _I can't believe he agreed to take me out on a date but it's not fair I made it his only way to avoid Lucy's questions. I'll tell Ash he doesn't need to take me out. _She thought sadly.

"How come you're taking May out on a date? You both won the contest." Lucy asked.

"I only entered the contest for a bit of fun. May entered to win it and she did, it might have been a draw but she still won so I'm taking her out to celebrate." Ash answered earning a surprised look from May, at how quickly Ash thought of an answer.

"I'm going to set up camp for a week because of the draw." May said.

"You don't have to that May." Ash said back.

"It's only fair after all we both won the contest."

Lucy and Brock watched the back and forth between their friends before Lucy spoke up saying "Are you two sweet. You really are a cute couple." Ash and May blushed and looked away from each other in embarrassment while Brock smiled and Lucy giggled.

"Hey Brock, Where's Croagunk?" Ash asked changing the subject. A smirk formed on Brock's face and Lucy started to laugh. Ash and May looked at each other in confusion.

"Croagunk has taken to following Forrest, now that I've found love." Brock said looking at Lucy, who blushed and kissed Brock on the cheek. "Forrest has taken after me slightly when it comes to talking to beautiful women and Croagunk…Well he's being Croagunk." Everyone laughed at Forrest's predicament.

When they stopped laughing Brock looked at Ash and said "We'll have the Gym battle in a few hours I've got to go and run a few errands."

"That's okay Brock I need to get a couple of Pokémon transferred from Professor Oak's Lab for the battle anyway. I need to call my mom as well to let her know how we're doing, I did promise to call her a lot."

After the breakfast dishes had been cleaned and put back in the cupboards Ash went to have a shower, get changed into his travelling clothes and collect his egg. While Brock, Lucy and May waited for him they talked about which Pokémon Ash might use for the Gym battle, May knew that he was going to use the Pokémon that Mewtwo had given him but didn't say anything about it. When Ash was ready he put his egg in his bag and the group walked into the centre of Pewter City they then split up Brock and Lucy went to do their errands, May went looking for the clothes shops and Ash went to the Pokémon Centre to change his Pokémon after which he was going to find May and go shopping with her. _Why do I always fall of puppy dog eyes? How much power do they have? I bet that if May used them and asked me to give her Pikachu I would. _Ash thought before brushing that idea away. _Nothing would make me give up Pikachu he's my best friend…. No he's more than that he's like my brother. I know that we started out badly but after so long nothing can separate us we'll be together for ever. _Ash looked at Pikachu, who sat on his shoulder, and said to him "Pikachu, we're more than friends aren't we?"

"Pika" replied the electric type happily.

"Pikachu, what would you think if I said that we were more like brothers?

Pikachu looked at Ash for a few seconds before jumping from his shoulder into his arms hugging his trainer tightly while squeaking in happiness, Pikachu had seen Ash as his brother for years but to hear Ash say it out loud made him happier than he had ever been before.

"I'll take that as a yes shall I?" Ash chuckled as he held Pikachu in his arms. When they arrived at the Pokémon Centre Ash asked Nurse Joy to check the egg and walked over to the Vid-Phones to call Professor Oak but first decided to call his mother. He dialled the number and waited for a minute for his mom to answer the phone.

"Hello?" Said Delia when she appeared on the screen. "Oh Ash It's so good to see you how is your journey going? How's May?"

"Hi mom. We got to Pewter City yesterday and there was a contest so both of us competed in it and we drew. May's doing great she's just gone to look in some clothes shops. I'm going to battle Brock for my Gym Badge in a few hours. I going to ask Professor Oak to send me a couple of my other Pokémon there's a technique I've been wanting to try out in a battle to see if it works, it worked in training but a proper trainer battle is different." Ash then proceeded to tell her what had happened whilst he and May travelled between Viridian City and Pewter City, leaving out Mewtwo and dialling down the threat from Team Rocket as she would worry.

"I'm sure that your technique will work brilliantly dear. Do try and keep each other safe you know I don't like it when you get into trouble. Oh before I forget Professor Oak called earlier this morning he wanted to know if I had talked to you today. He really wants to know what happened this morning, something about a Pokémon that you caught. I'll let you go now so that you can call him. Give May my love and remember to change your underwear everyday. I love you Ash."

"I love you to mom. I'll tell May and there's no need to remind me about that I do it anyway." Ash said blushing slightly in case someone had overheard her. "Bye Mom"

"Bye Ashy and good luck to both of you on your journey." His mother said hanging up.

Ash sat there for a few minutes before calling Professor Oak.

"Hi Professor, can you send me some of my Pokémon please?"

"Ash how were you able to catch a D..." Oak started to say before Ash interrupted not wanting to know what the Pokémon Mewtwo gave him was yet.

"It's a long story Professor I'll tell you about it one day." _Hopefully he'll forget so I don't have to tell him about it. _Ash thought.

"I'll hold you to that Ash. Now tell me which Pokémon you need.

* * *

May walked through the shops looking in all the windows searching for more clothes shops. She had already bought a new skirt and a dress she could wear for a contest if she needed to. May was still thinking about how to tell Ash that he didn't need to take her out for dinner _I'll tell him when he's finished at the Pokémon Centre_ she thought whilst staring in the shop windows. It would take roughly half an hour for Ash to finish in the Pokémon Centre and find her so May decided to stop and get a drink, when she walked into a nearby café and ordered an ice tea. She sat at a table and was waiting for her ice tea when she heard a voice that she really didn't want to hear.

"May how nice to see you here. Congratulations on your win." The voice said. May sighed in defeat knowing that Ash wasn't around to help her.

"Thanks Drew but I didn't win I tied with Ash and if the battle had been a bit longer I'm sure that Ash's Gardevoir would have gotten back up and he'd have won. I'm lucky that I managed to last that long in the battle." May replied trying to be polite, even though she really didn't want to talk to him. "What are you doing here?"

"I just stopped in here to get a drink and saw you sitting here and thought I'd join you." Drew said pulling out a chair and taking a seat. "Here this is for you." He continued as he held a red rose out for her.

"Thanks but no thanks. I've got a BOYFRIEND now so I won't be taking roses from you anymore sorry." May said putting emphasis on the word boyfriend. Drew's face darkened slightly when May said that but then he brighten his smile and tried to charm May once more.

"Now May someone as beautiful and intelligent as you only deserve the best, so why do you insist on being around that simple trainer when you could travel with me again and learn how to be a true Co-ordinator."

May didn't like the way Drew referred to Ash. "Now listen here Drew." She said her anger boiling inside her. "Firstly Ash isn't a simple trainer he proved that yesterday by beating you easily during the contest, secondly other the last few years when ever we've battle I'm the one that has gone through to the next round not you and lastly I already am a true Co-ordinator, I've got my own unique battling style, I've placed high in all the Grand Festivals for the past four years. Now please leave me alone."

Drew was taken aback slightly by the anger in May's voice and decided to take a different tactic. Drew saw that May's voice had gotten the attention of nearly everyone in the café. He got out of his chair and turned to leave when he stopped and looked over his shoulder at May.

"Did Ash tell you what happened between us before his appeal? Did he tell you that he attacked me?" Drew said before flicking his hair and walking out leaving May in shock.

_Ash attacked Drew? No that can't be right Ash would never attack anyone he's too sweet and gentle Drew must be lying. I'll ask Ash when I see him._ May thought as the waitress placed her ice tea on the table. May thanked her and became lost in her thoughts.

* * *

Ash collected his Pokéballs from the transfer machine and clipped them to his belt. As he walked back to the main desk to collect the Pokémon egg he turned to look at Pikachu.

"Do you think I made the right choice bringing him for the Gym battle? I've only had him for a few months and I don't have much experience with him."

"Pika Chu Pikapi." Squeaked Pikachu.

"Yeah your right Pikachu we'll do are best and that all we can do. I can't wait for the battle now Brock needs to watch out doesn't he?"

"Pi Pika Chu Kachu." Pikachu sweatdropped at how his trainer could change from worried to over confident in seconds.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Pika ChuPi"

"I guess your right I need to be careful Brock knows how I battle." Ash said. Nurse Joy looked up from her computer when Ash stopped in front of the desk.

"How can I help you today?" She asked.

"Hi Nurse Joy I left an egg with Chansey a few minutes ago. Can you tell me how it is?"

"Of course I can just bear with me a minute and I get your egg for you." Nurse Joy walked through a door and a minute later she came back out carrying the egg. "Here's your egg, everything is fine and it should hatch in a couple of days. Would you like any advice on how to look after a Pokémon egg or would you like to know what Pokémon is inside the egg?"

"No thank you Nurse Joy I've had a couple of Pokémon eggs in the past and I want the type of Pokémon to be a surprise, I'll be happy no matter what Pokémon it is."

"That's a nice thing to hear from a Pokémon trainer, there have been a few trainers that came here with Pokémon eggs and when they've been told which Pokémon is inside the egg they've left it behind." Nurse Joy said barely holding her anger back as she spoke. Ash then had an idea he was about to ask Pikachu what he thought about it, as Ash turned to his best friend Pikachu nodded his head _Wow _he thought _Pikachu already knows what my idea is. I shouldn't be surprised about it, we've been together so long that we know what the other is thinking._

"Nurse Joy do you have any abandoned egg at the minute?" He asked

"As a matter of fact there is one here. Why do you ask?"

"Would I be able to give it to a friend of mine? I'd be willing to pay for it if I need to, it's just that my friend loves Pokémon nearly as much as I do and I know that she'd look after the Pokémon no matter what."

"That's an incredibly generous thing for you to do. There's no need for you to pay for the egg, I would have had to release the Pokémon a few weeks after I had hatched. I would like you to do one thing for me though, could you contact me every now and again just to let me know how the Pokémon is getting on?" she asked.

"Not a problem but are you sure that I can just take the egg?"

"Of course you can. I'll get it for you now." Nurse Joy turned and walked through the door again before coming back carrying an egg. Most of the egg was a pale yellow while the top and a stripe down the side were black with a single yellow spot on the stripe.

"Would you like to know what Pokémon will hatch from this egg?" Nurse Joy asked.

"No thanks you I want it to be a surprise. Thank you for doing this Nurse Joy is there any way I can repay you for doing this?"

"It's nice of you to offer but as I said before just let me know how the Pokémon is doing every so often."

"Okay if you're sure." Ash said taking the egg from Nurse Joy "Do you have a bag I can put it in? I don't want May to see it yet."

"I'll just get one for you now." She said reaching under the desk. "Is there a reason you want to surprise your girlfriend?"

"There's no reas… Wait May's not my girlfriend we're just friends travelling together." Ash said turning red. "And there's no reason, this Pokémon need a home and I know that May will take good care of it." Ash said taking the bag and placing the egg inside. "Thank you again for everything Nurse Joy. Goodbye"

"It's not a problem. Goodbye and good luck on your journey."

Ash left the Pokémon Centre holding his egg in his arms with the other in a bag. _I need to find May now. I wonder where she is? _He thought.

* * *

May had finished her ice tea and shopped a bit more when she decided to make her way to the Pokémon Centre to meet up with Ash with Drew's words still circling in her head. _'He attacked me. He attacked me. He attacked me.'_ The same words repeating over and over again.

"No" May said out loud "Ash wouldn't attack Drew unless there was a reason to, Ash is the gentlest person I know. If he did Drew must have said something to him to make him lash out." As she walked towards her destination May wasn't completely focusing on where she was going and ended up walking into somebody, while she didn't fall down the collision did make May drop her shopping bags.

"Oh I'm so sorry I didn't mean to walk into you. I was thinking about something so I wasn't looking where I was going. Are you okay?" She asked as she bent down to collect her bags.

"I'm fine are you okay May?"

"Yes I'm okay….Wait how do you know my name?"

"Well I have known you for nearly ten years and we are travelling together now." May looked at the person she had walked into and saw that it was Ash. "So what were you thinking about?"

"Well…" May said looking down at her bags "I stopped to get a drink and ran into Drew." Ash's face darkened slightly "I eventually got him to leave but as he left he said that you attacked him. His voice has been going round and round in my head since. I know that you wouldn't attack him so can you tell me that and I can get rid of his voice." May said.

"May the truth is that I did attack him." A look of shock covered May's face "But it was in self-defence. He threw the first punch I dodge it grabbed his wrist, held his arm behind his back and told him to leave you alone." Ash explained. The shocked look on May's face vanished as she once again dropped her bags and threw her arms around Ash hugging him.

"What's the hug for May?"

"It's for being you Ash. I knew that if you did attack Drew for any reason it would be a good one. Why did he try and punch you though?" She said releasing Ash from the hug.

"It was during the contest as we passed in the tunnel before my appeal I congratulated him on a great appeal and he told me that I should just leave because I didn't stand a chance. I said that he'd see what I could do and carried on walking. Before I got to the stage I told him that if he got a haircut he would be able to stop flicking his hair. Then I felt something coming towards my head from behind with my aura so I dodge it and saw that it was Drew's fist. You already know the rest." Ash looked down feeling slightly ashamed of how he had acted.

"I'm glad that I know the truth now." May noticed that Ash was carrying a bag. "Ash what's in the bag?" Ash looked at the bag before turning his gaze to May. Ash smiled and handed the bag to May.

"It's a surprise for you." May's smile beamed as she took the bag and looked inside. She lifted the egg out and stared at it before hugging Ash again.

"Ash thank you I love it." She squealed causing Pikachu to jump off Ash's shoulder to save his hearing. "Where did you get it?" she said releasing Ash.

"I got it from the Pokémon Centre, Nurse Joy had it because a trainer abandoned it not wanting the Pokémon inside the egg. When Nurse Joy told me that I knew that you would be the best person to look after the egg, so I asked Nurse Joy if I could take it and she said yes."

"Nurse Joy just let you take it?"

"Yeah I offered to pay for it or do something to earn it but Nurse Joy said I didn't need to and the only thing she asked for was to called every so often on how the Pokémon is doing."

"Oh. I have one more question to ask you though Ash."

"Okay what is it May?"

"Is there a reason that you're giving me the egg?" Ash rubbed the back of his head and laughed nervously.

"Not really, it's just when Nurse Joy mentioned that some Pokémon eggs are abandoned you were the first person I thought of who could give the Pokémon a loving home. You're the kindest and most loving person I've ever met so I knew that you love this Pokémon no matter what." He said sheepishly. May's eyes started to tear up as she heard Ash's words. "May that Pokémon needs someone to teach it, to nurture it, to love it I can't think of anyone better suited to do that then you."

"Ash that's very sweet of you." May said before reaching up and giving Ash a quick peck on the cheek, causing both of them to blush. "Thank you." They stood there before collecting their bags and starting to walk to the shop that they would meet Brock and Lucy outside of. They walked with an awkward silence surrounding them before May broke it by saying "So what did your mom say when you called her?"

"She said to stay safe, to give you her love and wished us both luck."

"What Pokémon did you get for your battle?"

"I called Professor Oak and got one of my Sinnoh team and a Pokémon I only caught a few months ago but he's really strong. Professor Oak knows what Pokémon Mewtwo gave me as well but I stopped him before he told me. I want to be surprised when I see her."

"How does Professor Oak know what type of Pokémon it is?"

"When Mewtwo gave me the Pokéball he said he had already added her to my trainer profile. Since Professor Oak's lab is where I started my journey he has access to my profile, which tells him which Pokémon I've caught, where I caught them, their vital information, the move they know and a lot of other stuff. So when Mewtwo registered the Pokémon on my profile there would have been put a message on the profile to say that I'd caught a new Pokémon."

"Ash, why do you keep calling the Pokémon her? How do you know that it's a girl?"

"Mewtwo told me that she was a dear friends of his, I'd met her before but only briefly and that she would be happier travelling with me. When I called Professor Oak I heard the first letter of her name before I stopped him, her name starts with a D."

"Do you know who it might be?"

"I have a vague idea but I can't be sure." Ash said before stopping in front of the shop. They talked for a few more minutes as May tried to get Ash to tell her which Pokémon he was going to use for the gym battle.

"Ash," May said nervously "You know earlier when I said you were thinking about where you would take me for dinner, well I assumed that you were thinking about the Pokémon that Mewtwo gave you and that was why you couldn't give Lucy a straight answer. I wanted to help you out so I said the first thing that came into my head. There's no need for you to take me out for dinner." Ash looked at May for a minute before laughing gently. "What's so funny?" she asked

"Nothing it's just I was looking forward to seeing you set up camp for the next week." May punch Ash playfully, trying not to laugh. "I owe you for helping me so I will take you for dinner tonight, to say thank you. That's if you still want to."

"Well if you're sure Ash, then I'll take you upon that offer." May said smiling brightly.

"What offers that?" Ash and May turned to see Lucy walking towards them.

"Just this egg Nurse Joy gave me." Ash answered. "Because I already have one I asked May if she would look after this other one." He said showing Lucy the bag. "Where's Brock?"

"He's talking to one of the people he met during his studies, he said to back to the gym and he'll meet us there a bit later." With that Ash, Lucy and May started making their way back to the gym.

* * *

About half an hour after they arrived at the gym Brock came in and told Ash that it was time for their battle. Lucy stood at the side of the battlefield acting as referee while Ash and Brock stood opposite each other with Pikachu sitting on Ash's shoulder.. May sat off to the side of the gym so she could watch the battle easily.

"This is a battle between the Pewter City Gym Leader Brock and the challenger Ash Ketchum. It will be a 3 on 3 gym battle with no time limit, substitutions are only allowed by the challenger, the winner of the battle is the first person to knockout all of their opponents Pokémon. If the challenger wins they will be awarded with the Boulder Badge. Trainer are you ready?" Lucy said looking to both Ash and Brock, they both nodded. "Release you first Pokémon."

"Go Golem." Brock said throwing his Pokéball. When the ball opened it released a large, round bipedal Pokémon covered in a rocky shell.

"I choose you Infernape." Ash said releasing his dual fire and fighting type Pokémon. Infernape was a large monkey with brown fur on his face, arms, upper legs and tail with his lower legs and chest covered in white fur. A large flame blazed on top of his head and he was bouncing on his toes, itching for the fight. "Hey Brock is that Geodude?"

"Yes it is. While we were in Hoenn and Sinnoh Forrest was training him and he evolved into a Graveler, about a year or so later he told me he wanted to evolve so I traded him with Forrest, he evolved into a Golem and then traded back. I see that Infernape has gotten stronger now let's see what he can do, shall we?"

Lucy raised her arms saying "The challenger can make the first move. Trainers begin!" Lucy dropped her arms and the battle started.

"Infernape use Hone Claws." Infernape's hands glowed white as he scratched them along the floor sharpening his nails.

"Golem use Stone Edge." Two rings of white energy circle Golem before the energy faded revealing multiple sharp stones orbiting the Megaton Pokémon before they flew towards Infernape.

"Wait for it." Ash said to his Pokémon as the stone got closer and closer, Infernape kept his eyes on the attack trusting his trainer's plan. "Now counter with Close Combat." Infernape jumped into the Stone Edge his limbs a blur as he punched and kicked the stones into dust before landing on the ground again as if nothing had happened.

"Impressive Ash but I don't intend on losing this battle. Golem use Rock Polish then use Rock Blast." Golem glowed white then three of the rocks above Golem's head glowed orange and his forehead glowed silver. After a couple of seconds multiple silver rocks were fired towards Infernape.

"Infernape dodge it with Dig." The fire type dived to the ground evading the stones.

"Now Golem Earthquake!" Brock shouted as Golem jumped into the air.

"Infernape get out of there" Ash called but it was too late Golem landed on the ground sending shockwaves through the battlefield. As the Gym stopped shaking there was an eerie quiet before Infernape burst out of the ground underneath Golem knocking the rock type Pokémon into the air. Infernape moved back to Ash's side of the battlefield waiting for his next instruction.

"Golem Rollout." Golem started to spin in the air and when it hit the ground it shot towards Infernape. _This is what I've been waiting for. _Ash thought.

"Infernape get ready it's time." Infernape nodded and braced himself for what was about to come. Everyone else looked at Ash in confusion, as Golem grew closer and closer it looked like Ash wasn't going to anything. "Now Mach Punch." He said calmly. Infernape's fist glowed white as he sped forward and hit the rolling Golem causing a cloud of dust to cover the battle field. A few seconds later Golem flew out of the cloud. "Yes it works." Ash said before noticing that everyone was staring at him he decided to explain what had just happened. "Before I started training I thought back to all of the battles that I lost and tried to think up ways of overcoming those situations, one of the first one that I remembered was battling Whitney and her Miltank kept using Rollout. So I thought about now I could stop it took a while but one day I saw Infernape and Donphan training together and Infernape tried to stop a Rollout but it didn't work. That's when I realised that if he hit the right spot he could stop the Rollout. We've been working on it ever since, this is the first time it's been used outside of training."

"Ash I'm amazed that you thought of that but Golem isn't finished yet. Golem use Steamroller." Golem was panting but was still able to battle, it withdrew its head, arms and legs into its shell and started spinning rapidly as it became outlined in white energy speeding its way towards Infernape.

"Infernape lets finish this Mach Combat." Infernape grinned and disappeared for a second before reappearing next to Golem, his hands and feet glowing with white energy as he launched into a high speed attack which forced Golem to stop and threw it across the gym floor. Golem slid to a stop in front of Brock with spirals in it eyes.

"Golem is unable to battle, Infernape is the winner. Brock release your next Pokémon." Lucy said as Golem was returned to it Pokéball.

"Great battle Ash. Go Steelix." Brock said calling out his first Pokémon. Steelix was a large grey snake with a shovel like head and spikes sticking out of its sides.

"Infernape you did great return." Ash said recalling his Pokémon. "I choose you Gyarados." As his Pokémon came in to view everyone saw that it was different from most of its species. This Gyarados was nearly twice the size of a normal Gyarados and it was a different colour as well. Most Gyarados are blue and yellow, shiny Gyarados although rare are known to be red but Ash's has black scales instead of blue, the yellow was replaced by red, the crest on his forehead was a deeper shade of red, finally his eyes and whiskers (**AN I don't know what else to call them**) were coloured gold.

Gyarados roared making everyone except Ash shrink back slightly. _Why does he always have to do that? _Ash thought before his Pokémon turned to him and lower his head to look his trainer in the eye. Ash smiled and rubbed Gyarados' crest.

"Okay this is your first Gym battle give it your all. Hey Brock shall we start the battle?"

"If you insist but after the battle I want to hear how you two met and I want to examine him if that's okay with you."

"Fine by me let's do this. Gyarados use Ice Beam on the field." Gyarados roared again before firing an icy blue beam flew from his mouth making the battlefield difficult for Steelix to manoeuvre.

"Steelix break the ice with Earthquake." Steelix slammed his tail onto the ground causing the ice to splinter and fly around the field, while Gyarados was hit by both the ice and the attack.

"Gyarados hang on and use Flamethrower to melt the ice and attack Steelix." Gyarados reared his head back and released a torrent of fire from his mouth melting the ice and flowing towards Steelix.

"Steelix beat it back with Flash Cannon." Steelix formed a silvery ball of energy in his mouth and fired a metallic beam that stopped the Flamethrower for a few seconds before slowly making its way towards Gyarados.

"Gyarados dodge it and use Flamethrower again." Gyarados stopped its attack and dived below the Flash Cannon and launched another Flamethrower aiming underneath Steelix's jaw. The Flamethrower found its mark causing Steelix to roar in pain.

"Use Dig to get away!" Brock shouted. Steelix dove into the ground evading the fire type attack.

"Gyarados Earthquake." Ash said to his Pokémon causing him to slam his tail to the ground causing the gym to shake once more. As the shaking stopped Steelix emerged from the battlefield and attacked Gyarados with Crunch.

"Gyarados use Dragonbreath." Gyarados roared in pain and followed his trainers commands.

"Steelix you use Dragonbreath as well." Both Pokémon fired a beam of energy at each other, Gyarados' a green beam while Steelix's was blue. The two attacks collided in the middle of the field causing an explosion covering everything in a cloud of dust and smoke no-one could see the Pokémon, when the cloud eventually cleared they saw that Steelix and Gyarados were coiled around each other using their immense strength to wrestle the other into submission. Ash and Brock looked at each other and nodded in understanding, it was time to end this battle.

"Gyarados/Steelix use Flamethrower/Thunder Fang." They shouted together. Gyarados once again released a pillar of fire from his mouth hitting Steelix in the back, while Steelix's mouth crackled with electricity as he bite into Gyarados' side. The Pokémon stayed like that for a few minutes using all of their power to win the battle until they separated and glared at each other before falling to the ground in exhaustion.

"Both Pokémon are unable to battle. This battle is a draw, trainers send out your final Pokémon." Lucy announced.

"Well Ash this is it Go Ludicolo." Brock said sending out his dual water and grass type Pokémon. "I know I'm supposed to be a rock type Gym Leader but I need to surprise my opponents every now and again."

"Well Brock you're not the only one with a surprise. Pikachu...will you go sit with May please." Pikachu nodded jumped from Ash's shoulder and ran over to May and settled himself in her lap. Brock and Lucy looked at Ash in confusion they were sure that Ash would have use Pikachu in the battle. "Now I choose you…." Ash threw the Pokéball and in a flash of white light revealed the Pokémon that Mewtwo had given him. The Pokémon stood taller than Ash. She had a long thick tail on her arms and feet were three claws, a small horn sat on her head along with a set of cream antenna and a set of green wings on her back. Her body was tan in colour and her belly was cream. "D-D-Dragonite!" Ash said in shock and he wasn't the only one Brock, Lucy May and Pikachu all stared with their mouths hanging open. Ash quickly got over his shock and looked at his Pokédex to check on what move Dragonite could use. Once he had looked over the moves he was ready to start the battle.

"Ash when did you catch a Dragonite?" Brock asked.

"Not too long ago. I'll tell you about it later."

"Trainers are you ready?" Lucy asked. Brock and Ash nodded again. "In that case begin."

"Ludicolo use Ice Beam." Ludicolo fired an icy blue beam at Dragonite.

"Dragonite dodge with Extremespeed then use Dragon Dance." Dragonite blurred as she easily moved out of the way of the ice type attack and a red aura formed around her body fuelling her with new power. "Now use Dragon Rush." Dragonite surge forward surrounded in a blue aura and slammed into Ludicolo sending the carefree Pokémon flying across the field.

"Ludicolo are you okay?" Brock asked his Pokémon. Ludicolo got to his feet and nodded at his trainer. "Right use Hydro Pump." Ludicolo released a blast of water towards the dragon type.

"Dragonite get into the sky and use Thunder on the Hydro Pump." Dragonite launched herself into the air as electricity formed around her antenna. When the electricity was powerful enough she fired it at the Hydro Pump. The electricity surged down through the water and shocked Ludicolo throwing him back once again. Ludicolo lay still for a few moments before rising to his feet once more.

"Ludicolo use Blizzard over the whole field." Opening his mouth Ludicolo blew out one of the strongest ice type attacks known. Dragonite was pelted by the icy gale until Ash thought of an idea.

"Dragonite use Flamethrower in front of you full power." Dragonite trusted in her new trainer, opened her mouth and blew out a river of fire that proceeded to protect her from the Blizzard. "Now use the Flamethrower to get in close and finish with Thunderpunch." Dragonite flew towards Ludicolo using Flamethrower to forge a path as electricity formed around her hands.

"Ludicolo get out of there." Brock shouted but it was too late as Dragonite slammed both of her fists into Ludicolo causing the electricity to crackle across his both. The Blizzard stopped as Ludicolo fell back with swirls in his eyes.

"Ludicolo is unable to battle. Brock is out of usable Pokémon the winner of the Pewter City Gym battle is Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town." Lucy announced as Brock sighed and recalled Ludicolo thanking him for his hard work, while Ash had run on to the field to thank Dragonite and was about to tell her what was happening but decided to do it later when they were alone.

Brock walked over to Ash as he recalled Dragonite and shook his friend's hand.

"Ash that was an amazing battle. You've earned this." Brock turned and took a box from Lucy before turning back to face Ash. Lifting the lid Ash could see that inside the box sat a Boulder Badge on a blue velvet cushion. "For winning the battle I hereby present you with the Boulder Badge." Ash reached into the box, picked up the badge and went into his usual victory pose.

"Alright I won the Boulder Badge!" He cried.

"Pi Pikachu." Everyone smiled but thought that Ash should be over the victory pose by now.

"Congratulations Ash." May said. It was then that everyone heard Ash's stomach growl, everyone sweatdropped.

"Well I guess it's time for me to cook lunch." He said.

* * *

Returning to the house Ash and Brock went into the kitchen while May and Lucy sat in the garden and talked about the clothes that May had bought and all the Pokémon played together in the gym.

"Ash, we need to talk about the memories." Brock said shakily.

"I know Brock, I know that it's a big shock for you it was for me too." Ash replied as he cut some vegetables ready for the stew he was making. "I saw Mewtwo this morning." He confessed seeing the shocked look on Brock face.

"Why was he here? Is he going to block the memories again?"

"No he said that he had felt that the block had been removed from both of us and wanted to know how I did it and if I was going to do the same for Misty. I said yes if she wanted to remember." Ash then when on to explain the rest of his conversation with Mewtwo that May now knew the secret and how he came to have Dragonite.

"If May knows does that mean that I can tell Lucy?" Brock asked hopefully.

Ash sighed "Honestly Brock I don't know. I know that you don't want to keep secrets from Lucy but I would either keep it secret or try and find a way of asking Mewtwo. If you trust Lucy to keep this to herself then I don't see the harm of telling her but like I said I don't know. The decision is up to you." Silence passed between them as Brock thought about his options and Ash continued to cook. Eventually Ash decided to break the silence "Brock I've been meaning to ask, where's your family?"

"They decided to have a week away from home and Forrest went out training so that Lucy and I could have some time alone together." Brock answered as he came out of his thoughts. When he saw the meal that Ash had made he was stunned. There was a bowl of stew, bread rolls and a large bowl full of noodles with a thick red sauce covering the top. Ash had also made some Pokémon food. "Ash where did you learn to cook like this?" he exclaimed.

"Well I've watched you cook meals for years and before I went travelling on my own I asked my mom to teach me how so that I didn't have to keep relying on Pokémon Centre travel packs, although they are nice having them all the time could get dull. It might look nice but it won't taste as nice as your cooking."

"Well we'll just have to see about that." Brock helped Ash carry the food to the dining room and then called everyone in for lunch

Everyone enjoyed Ash's cooking and said it was a great as Brocks even though Ash denied it. While they ate the topic of Gyarados came up along with Dragonite, so Ash started to tell how he caught Gyarados while trying to think up a story for Dragonite.

"It not a very exciting story but here it is. A couple of months ago I was at the Lake of Rage in Johto for a few day training with some of my Pokémon who had a weakness to water, trying to work on their resistance to water type attacks. Gigalith and Emboar were having a mock battle went their Rock Blast and Flamethrower collided causing a big explosion, Gyarados came flying out of the water and attacked us with Hyper Beam. He knocked Emboar and Gigalith out straight away and kept attacking, eventually Pikachu was the only one not knocked out and he used Thunder at full power again and again for about five minutes before Gyarados started to slow down." All eyes were on Ash as he paused for a drink. "Pikachu got hit by an Ice Beam and was frozen when Gyarados looked right at me and charged up another Hyper Beam. Then I heard a very familiar roar, Charizard came diving down hit Gyarados with Dragon Rage grabbed me and took off again, I'd called Liza and asked her to send Charizard to where I was. It took about ten minutes before Gyarados was knocked out and while Charizard used Flamethrower to get Pikachu out of the ice I caught Gyarados. When I let him out of the Pokéball after I took all my Pokémon to the Pokémon centre, he'd calmed down and I started to train with him. It was a few days before he actually started to listen to me and now he's one of my most loyal Pokémon."

"What about Dragonite?" Lucy asked.

"Dragonite I've had for about a year now." Ash lied. "I was training on Mt Silver when I saw something crash into the snow not far from me, I ran to see what it was and saw that it was Dragonite and she was hurt badly so I started getting medicine out of my bag when Pikachu warned me that something else was coming. I turned around and saw it was a Salamence I sent out all of the Pokémon I had with me and while they battled Salamence I healed Dragonite. Eventually the Salamence flew away and I finished healing Dragonite, I stayed on Mt Silver for about two weeks and Dragonite was always close by, she even helped Lucario and Lapras learn Dragon Pulse." Brock looked at ash when he heard about Lapras.

"You caught another Lapras?" he asked

"No it's the same one I met in the Orange Islands, I was in Olivine City and saw a pod of Lapras close to the beach so I walked over and Lapras recognised me I told her what I had done since the last time we met and how I was taking some time to train, it was starting to get dark so I said goodbye when Lapras nudged my shoulder and asked if she could travel with me again I asked about the pod and she said that they were strong enough to protect themselves without her so I said okay and caught her. Now back to Dragonite, when I was leaving Mt Silver Dragonite followed me down and at the bottom she tapped one of the Pokéballs on my belt and caught herself. She's been one of my strongest Pokémon since." They finished their lunch and the conversation then turned to what Ash and May were going to do next.

"So where are you two going on your date?" Lucy asked. Ash and May looked at each other before looking away quickly and blushing.

"Ash's cooking has filled my stomach so I don't think we'll go out tonight we'll do it another night." May answered avoiding Lucy's eyes. "If it's okay with Ash I'd like to start making our way to Cerulean City in the morning. When I was shopping I heard that there was a contest taking place at Mt Moon in a few days and I want to compete and win my first official ribbon."

"It's not a problem with me. I can't wait to get my next badge and show Misty how strong I am now." Ash said. "And it will give Lucy and Brock sometime together." Lucy shot a look at Brock who cowered slightly while May looked confused. Seeing this Ash decided to explain. "Brock's family went away for the week because Brock and Lucy haven't had much time alone together." May nodded and the conversation then changed to general chit chat. After cleaning the dishes and playing with the Pokémon it had gotten late so everyone decided to go to bed.

* * *

The next morning May woke to find a note from Ash saying that he was in the clearing again exercising. May got dressed and told Lucy that she was going to get Ash. Walking to the clearing she heard grunts and the sound of something being hit, May increased her pace until she could see into the clearing. Ash and Lucario were sparring, trading punches and kicks May looked on in amazement that Ash seemed to be not only holding his own against the fighting type Pokémon but giving Lucario a hard time. Ash was wearing his jeans but had taken his t-shirt off, it was hanging on a branch at the other side of the clearing, May blushed seeing Ash's bare chest again. Creeping a bit closer May saw that Ash's brown eyes were now shining blue _He must be using his aura _she thought, as Lucario was thrown to the side he rolled and stood up while forming a Bone Rush, Ash saw this and moved to a tree and picked up a fallen branch and face Lucario. They jumped at each other their makeshift staffs clashing over and over again, after a few minutes Ash managed to flip Lucario onto his back, they then stopped and bowed to each other. Ash's eyes returned to their usual brown as he stopped using his aura.

"You can come out now May." Ash said May blushed and walked into the clearing. "I didn't introduce you to Lucario did I?"

"Actually no you didn't." May answered.

"Alright then. May this is Lucario, Lucario this is May one of my closest friends."

"It's nice to meet you Lucario."

**It is an honour to meet a friend of my master. **Lucario said. May wasn't shocked by the fact that Lucario could talk because of her encounter with Sir Aaron's Lucario.

"Lucario I've told you to call me Ash not master."

**You have told me that hundreds of times but it will not change the fact that you are my master and I shall call you such.**

"Lucario I am not your master I am your friend."

**You are both my friend and my master.**

"I give up." Ash sighed while May giggled slightly.

"Ash how did you know I was watching?" She asked.

"I could feel your aura when you got close to the clearing." Ash's stomach growled, he smiled sheepishly "I guess it's time for breakfast." Ash, May and Lucario then walked back to the gym.

After they ate breakfast and packed their bags Ash and May said goodbye to Brock and Lucy and made their way onto route 3. After an hour of walking a cloud of gas covered their path and they heard some familiar voices.

**Jessie:** Prepare for trouble!

**James:** Make it double!

**Jessie:** To protect the world from devastation!

**James:** To unite all peoples within our nation!

**Jessie:** To denounce the evils of truth and love!

**James:** To extend our reach to the stars above!

**Jessie:** Jessie!

**James:** James!

**Jessie:** Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!

**James:** Surrender now or prepare to fight!

**Wobbuffet:** Wobbu Wobbu

"Where are you?" Shouted Ash coughing from the gas while May had taken her bandana off and covered her mouth with it. Suddenly a steel hand came flying through the gas and grabbed May before retracting taking her with it.

"If you want your girlfriend back twerp give us Pikachu. You have till tomorrow to hand him over or you'll never see her again!" Jessie shouted. "Meet us here at noon."

"Dragonite I choose you. Use Hurricane to blow away the gas." Ash cried throwing a Pokéball. The dragon type appeared and started flapping her wings, which glowed blue, summoning powerful winds that cleared the air but it was to late May had gone. Ash fell to his knees in defeat as he saw that May's bandana was on the ground, holding it sorrow over took him then he heard another familiar voice.

"I can help you get her back."

* * *

**Some of this chapter may seem a bit rushed that's because I wanted to get this finished as I've had a lot of ideas for the next chapter. If Dragonite's battle looks a little short that's because she has been with Mewtwo since New Island so she's going to be very strong.**

**Please keep your suggestion coming in about which Electric Pokémon Ash should catch, along with any other Pokémon you think Ash and May should catch.**

**Until Next Time**

**Basic Trainer**


	5. Chapter 5

**Here is Chapter 5. I've managed to get this written quicker then I thought I would.**

**Once again I would like to thank everyone who has read my story. I really didn't think that I would have so many people saying how much they like it. I'll try and keep updating as quickly as possible I'll try to make it a chapter a month.**

**Now let's get backto the story and find out who is going to help Ash and how he's going to rescue May.**

* * *

Chapter 5

A-Team To The Rescue

"I can help you get her back." Ash turned to look in the direction the voice came from and saw someone he didn't want to see at that moment in time. He shot forward grasping the figure by the shoulders, lifting them off the ground and slamming them into a tree.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" He bellowed his sorrow turning to a near uncontrollable rage, as he lifted the figure higher, Pikachu sat on Ash's shoulder electricity sparking from his red cheeks.

"Calm down I'm here to help you Twerp." Said Meowth. "I've left Team Rocket now for real this time. I've changed since Unova I don't want to steal anymore, after the way you and the other two from Unova treated me I started to think about what I've done to you and your friends over the years and it made me realize that it was time to make amends. I know that I have a lot of work to do and I want to start with this. Let me help you get her back, I know where Jessie and James are hiding, I can take you there and I'll fight them with you. Just let me help you….Please." Ash lower Meowth to the ground and stepped back, his anger subsiding, Pikachu's cheeks stopped sparking as shock hit him.

"How do I know you telling the truth this time? How can I trust you when last time you said you'd left Team Rocket you lied and betrayed us?" He said. Meowth looked down and sighed taking a few steps away from Ash he turned and said two little words.

"Catch me." Ash's eyes shot open in surprise.

"What did you just say?"

"I said catch me, you know how much I de the idea of being in a Pokéball and being 'owned' so dis is how it is, you catch me and den you can decide what to do with me. You can keep me in dat Pokéball forever, you can hand me over to Officer Jenny, you can do whatever you want to. I deserve whatever punishment you give me for all of de problems I've caused you, so catch me, we go save your girlfriend and den you can do whatever you want to do with me." Ash was taken aback by what Meowth had said, he stood there trying to comprehend what he had been told, trying to decide if he should trust Meowth or not.

"May's not my girlfriend." Ash mumbled still thinking. Meowth was losing his patience with Ash and ran up to him, took a Pokéball from his belt and pressed it to his chest. Meowth disappeared in a red light as the Pokéball opened and closed sealing the Scratch Cat Pokémon inside, the ball fell to the ground rocking once, twice, three times before it pinged and the centre button turned red. Meowth had been captured. Ash and Pikachu stared to the Pokéball in shock, Ash bent down to pick it up and turned to Pikachu.

"We have to get the A-Team together. May need our help and we're not going to let her down. Let's go." Ash picked up his egg and saw that May's lay on the ground not far from where she was standing Ash picked up her egg as well. Then Ash and Pikachu ran back to Pewter City to get the Pokémon they needed.

Reaching the Pokémon Centre Ash ran to the Vid-Phones and dialled Professor Oak's number, after a minute of ringing the Professor answered smiling.

"Ah, Ash I didn't expect to hear from you so soon. What can I do for you?"

"Professor I need to send you some Pokémon and get the A-Team from you." The elderly Professor's face dropped when he heard the tone of Ash's voice.

"I'll tell Tracey to get them, tell me what's happened." Ash nodded and waited as the Professor told Tracey to collect some of Ash's Pokémon. Ash then told Professor Oak how Team Rocket had ambushed them and taken May, demanding Pikachu in exchange for May. Ash also asked the Professor to leave one of the Pokémon because he needed Meowth to lead him to where Team Rocket was hiding. This took a few minutes and as Ash started to transfer his Pokémon Brock and Lucy entered the Pokémon centre, seeing Ash they walked over asking him why he was still in Pewter and where May was. Ash quietly told them everything, how Team Rocket had kidnapped May, wanted Pikachu in exchange, catching Meowth and that he planned on rescuing May as soon as he got a specific team of Pokémon from Professor Oak. Brock and Lucy waited with Ash as he got his Pokéballs. Ash then made another phone call, a green haired woman answered when she saw Ash was the one calling she smiled.

"Ash It's great to hear from you. How are things?"

"I don't want to be rude but I don't have much time. Can you send him to me please, I really need his help." Hearing the emotions in Ash's voice her smile vanished and she nodded.

"I'll have him fly to you straight away. You're in Pewter City aren't you it should only take him about three or four hours to get there. "

"There's no time for that, send him through the transfer system. I need him now." The woman nodded again, said goodbye then ended the call. Ash waited by the transfer machine and once the Pokéball appeared he asked Nurse Joy to mind the Pokémon eggs and he left the Pokémon Centre with Brock and Lucy following him back to Route 3.

"Ash, we're coming with you. May is our friend too, if you're going then so are we." Brock said firmly, Lucy walking beside him nodding. A small smile formed on Ash's face as he nodded his thanks, he reached for a Pokéball and released Meowth.

"Oh am I glad to be out of there. It's time isn't it?" asked the cat Pokémon.

"Yeah it is, Meowth show us where May is." Ash said. Meowth nodded and lead the group into the woods. While walking Lucy asked Ash what the combo he used in the Gym Battle was Ash explained it was a combination of Mach Punch and Close Combat, Ash then told them about a few other combinations he could have used this brought the conversation to a halt hearing the multiple combos that Ash had thought up over the years. After a few minutes of walking in silence Brock asked Ash what was so special about the team he received from Professor Oak.

"I've helped the Pokémon G-men from time to time." Brock was shocked to hear that. Ash continued "I ran into Lance not long after I started travelling again 3 years ago."

* * *

_Flashback_

Ash was on his way to Vermillion City to catch a ferry to Sinnoh. He was on his way to Mt Coronet for some intense training, he was talking to Pikachu about what type of training they should do, when a shadow flew over him looking up he saw that a Dragonite was about to land in front of him. Slowing his pace he watched the dragon type land a little further down the path, Ash saw that someone had been riding on the Pokémon. The person was about 30 years old, stood a little over six foot in height and had red spiky hair. They wore a dark blue jacket and dark blue pants with orange bands on both, they also wore a long black cape with red lining. Ash recognised the person it was Lance the Champion of Johto and last member of the Kanto Elite Four, he had lost his Kanto Champion status while Ash had been in Unova. Lance thank his Dragonite for his help and returned him to his Pokéball then walked up to Ash smiling, Ash smiled back and extended his hand while Pikachu waved, Lance took Ash's hand and shook it.

"Ash it's been a long time hasn't it? How have you been or should I ask where have you been?" Asked the Champion.

"Too long Lance, I've been great after Johto I went to Hoenn and placed in the top 8, won the Kanto Battle Frontier, got in the top 4 in Sinnoh and I just came second in Unova. Sorry to hear you lost your Championship for Kanto, I didn't see the battle but for what I've been told it was an amazing one." Ash replied.

"I see that you've gotten a lot better that when we last met, as for the battle it was one of the best battles that I've had since I started on my journey. I believe you know the trainer that beat me."

"I do but it's been years since we've seen each other. I'm really happy for him. If' you don't mind me asking what are you doing here?"

"I'm actually looking for you Ash. I've got an offer for you."

"What's that?"

"How would you like to join the Pokémon G-Men?" Ash's mouth dropped open and Pikachu nearly fell from his place on Ash's shoulder when they heard the offer.

_Flashback paused_

* * *

"You're a member of the G-Men!" Brock exclaimed. Everyone except Ash and Pikachu stopped walking after hearing what he had said, Ash stopped and turned back to them.

"Just wait and listen to the story." Ash said

* * *

_Flashback continues_

"What? Why me?" Ash asked still trying to comprehend what Lance had just said.

"Ash you are an exceptional trainer, you've played a major part in stopping the schemes of Team Rocket, Team Aqua, Team Magma, Team Galactic and Team Plasma. You've also had a number of encounters with villains that have attempted to capture legendary Pokémon and use them for their own means, such as Lawrence III the collector who tried to capture Lugia in the Orange Islands,…" before Lance could continue Ash interrupted him.

"How do you know about that?" Ash asked. "There wasn't any mention of what I did therein the news, they just said that Lugia stopped Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres by himself."

"Ash the reason that you weren't mentioned is because of the G-Men got hold of the footage that had been filmed by the TV crew that travelled to Shamouti Island with Professor Oak in the helicopter. We kept it from getting out as it would have caused you a lot of trouble while you travelled on your journey, we also stopped word of your parts in Greenfield, stopping the mind controlled Celebi in forests by Arborville, the events at Alto Mare, stopping the fake Groudon and helping Jirachi, Rayquaza and Deoxys in LaRousse City, Rota and the Tree of Beginning, the Temple of the Sea and the Phantom, Alamos Town, stopping Zero, Arceus attacking Michina Town, how Grings Kodai nearly destroyed Crown City, Eindoak Town and Victini, Kyurem, Genesect and all the other situations you would find yourself in during your adventures. The fact that you have done all of these things and from a young age make you a perfect candidate for the G-Men. Now will you join?" Ash was silent for a few minutes as he considered how to answer.

"Lance I really don't know what to say, this is huge but I don't think that I'm suited for the G-Men. However if you ever need me just let me know and I'd be happy to help you, how does that sound?" Ash asked. Lance thought about what Ash had said before nodding and holding his hand out, smiling.

"If you're sure about it then we have a deal." He said as Ash shook his hand. "Ash" he continued "If you're going to help the G-Men then I think that you need to put together a team of your strongest Pokémon but also they need to be able to take on different situations. They need a balance of power, speed, defensive capabilities and the capability to battle without you needing to command them but don't pick all large Pokémon as some of the situation may call for Pokémon of different sizes. In short you need to put together an assault team, most members of the G-Men shorten it to calling them either A-Team." Lance handed Ash a small device shaped like Pokéball. "This is a G-Men Communication Sphere or GCS for short, if I need to call you then this will vibrate and make a pinging noise all you need to do to answer it is flip it open. If you need to contact me you just flip it open, press the green button it will connect to my GCS, if while you're travelling you see anything strange that you think might need G-Men attention let me know. There is a red button in there as well only use that in emergencies as it will call all member of the G-Men to your position, but as you are not taking a full membership your GCS will not be alerted to emergency calls." Ash nodded taking in the information that Lance had given him and starting to think about the team that he should have for helping Lance. "It is time for me to leave, Ash good luck on your journey and with your training. Keep the GCS with you at all time I might need your help at any time. Goodbye Ash until we meet again." Lance released his Dragonite, climbed on to his back and took off flying towards Johto. Ash watched Lance disappear into the distance.

"Pikachu?" Ash said turning to the electric mouse. "Did that just happen?" Pikachu nodded his head.

"Pikachu." He squeaked.

"Well okay then we need to build a team. Who should we have?" Ash asked as they continued on their way to Vermillion City.

_Flashback ends_

* * *

The group carried on walking, following Meowth to where Team Rocket was hiding. As they thought about what Ash had just told them Lucy asked an important question.

"Why didn't you contact Lance, Ash?" Ash looked at the Frontier Brain and sighed.

"I tried it was the first thing I did on my way back to Pewter City but he didn't answer and I can't use the emergency signal because it would take too long to organise a full rescue operation and if Team Rocket saw that an army of G-Men were searching the woods they would run, taking May with them or leaving her deep in the woods where it would take too long to find her. I can't take that risk, I have to save May before Team Rocket do anything to hurt her." Lucy was near tears as she heard the strength of the emotions resonating in the words of his last sentence. "I made a promise to May to help her no matter what. She needs me now and I'm going to be there for her." After that they walked in silence until Meowth came to a halt.

"Jessie and James are about a hundred yards ahead, der different den de last time we met in Unova. What happened in de Viridian Forest isn't de way dey actually are, de robot dey used was a shambles because I wouldn't help dem build it, you see I was de one who build all of de robots that you and your Pokémon blew up over de years. Since Unova Jessie and James have gotten stronger as trainers, de three of us have risen through de Team Rocket ranks and are now considered to be top operatives just under de executives." Meowth sighed. "What I'm saying is be careful dey might surprise ya." Ash nodded and slowly made his way forward, seeing that Brock and Lucy were following he turned and motioned for them to stop. Meowth walked forward and stood at Ash's side. "I still want to prove to ya dat I've changed. I'm fighting with you, I've only got Fury Swipes but I'll fight." Meowth said somewhat reluctantly.

"You don't need to do that Meowth." Ash said "I know that they're you friends. Stay here with Brock and Lucy while I go and get May." Meowth shook his head.

"No if I'm leaving Team Rocket then I need to prove it." Ash nodded.

"Ash wait a minute why did you say that Lucy and I are staying here. May's our friend too if you're going then so are we." Brock said.

"Brock, I don't want you or Lucy to get hurt and what I've got planned could get you two hurt." Ash said sternly. "May is in trouble and I don't want to put anyone else at risk." Ash turned to go when Brock grabbed his arm.

"I'm willing to take the risk." He said

"So am I." Lucy added. Ash nodded again and the group made their way to the clearing. They stopped at the edge and saw something that caused a rage rivalling that of a Gyarados to burn inside of Ash's body. The sight in front of Ash made his eyes turn from brown to a shining blue.

* * *

In the centre of the clearing Ash saw that two snake-like Pokémon were coiled around May. One was Jessie's Seviper and the other Ash hadn't seen in years it was Arbok. The rest of Team Rocket's Pokémon were stood around the clearing. Jessie's Yanmega and Dustox were circling above the clearing as if keeping watch, her Wobbuffet was standing not far from Arbok and Seviper and Fearow was sitting in a tree facing further into the forest. James had reunited with his Weezing who was floating next to Seviper, his Carnivine had his vines wrapped around a tree watching for any intruders, Amoonguss was standing just to the side of where Ash and the others were hiding with his back to them, Yamask was floating next to James, Victreebel was hanging from a branch facing towards the group but was sleeping and Cacnea had her arms wrapped James neck as he tried to dislodge his overly affectionate Pokémon. Jessie and James were sat on a blanket in front of May eating their lunch while May shouted at them.

"Let me go now or you'll be sorry when Ash gets here!" May shouted.

"Seviper shut the twerpette up will you." Jessie said. "She's ruining our lunch."

"Ssssseeeeviper." Hissed the snake as he swung his blade like tail across May's face knocking her out and leaving a small cut on her cheek.

Seeing this Ash ran in to the clearing, releasing his Pokémon as Pikachu jumped from his shoulder with electricity arcing from his cheeks. Four Pokéballs flew through the air and opened letting Ash's A-Team out into the clearing.

The first one was Lucario who flipped in the air and landed in a fighting stance ready for whatever might be coming his way.

The second was a large weasel like Pokémon with two long tails and a floatation ring wrapped from his shoulder, down his chest and around his back to just above his tails. The Pokémon was Floatzel, Buizel had evolved after winning a battle with a trainer in Unova. The water type was standing alongside Lucario with his arms folded across his chest and a smirk was on his mouth.

Next came a green reptile with a large tree like tail, he stood on two powerful legs and on each of his arms were four blade like protrusions and yellow seeds ran in two line down his back. A twig hung from his mouth and like Floatzel this pokemon had a smirk on his face and gave off a feeling of complete cool. Sceptile stood between Pikachu and Lucario.

The final Pokémon emerged and took his place by Floatzel, he was arguably the most powerful of Ash's Pokémon. Standing tall with large orange and teal wings spread wide open on his back, his body was orange and his stomach pale tan, a long neck leading to a head with two horns sticking out of the back, a long tail tipped with a bright flame and a torrent of fire flew from his mouth as he roared. Charizard made his presence known.

Meowth moved forward and stood, nervously, next to Charizard Ash's Pokémon saw this and were about to attack when Pikachu quickly explained the situation to them. Team Rocket's Pokémon quickly lined up in front of their trainers except for Arbok and Seviper who still held May, who was starting to wake up after hearing Charizard's roar.

"Meowth good job bringing us all these Pokémon, we'd wondered where you had gone. Now bring Pikachu over here." James said

"No." Meowth said as he extended his claws. "I quit!"

"What did you just say?" Jessie asked.

"I said I quit Team Rocket. Youse two have changed you're not the Jessie and James that I was friend with anymore. I'm on Ash's side now." Everyone's eyes widened with shock because Meowth had use Ash's name and not called him `twerp`.

As Ash's Pokémon moved forward Jessie commanded her Pokémon to tighten their hold on May, causing her to cry out in pain.

"Stop your Pokémon where they are twerp or your girlfriend gets a lot thinner." Ash tells his Pokémon to stop. "Now." Jessie continued. "Give us Pikachu and your other Pokémon seeing that you've brought us a lot of powerful ones."

"Ash don't just stand there, beat them and get me out of here!" cried May.

"Seviper shut her up again." Jessie said. Once more Seviper hit May with his tail knocking her unconscious again. Ash lost his calm then, aura flared around his body enveloping it, aura flicked across his form like fire as his eyes became a solid blue, not just his pupils. Ash surged forward Aura Spheres flying from his hands and connecting with each of Team Rocket's Pokémon, except for the two holding May hostage, none of them having the time to dodge or counter the unexpected attack. As Ash closed on Jessie and James they panicked.

"Wait, this is all a misunderst…" James started before he was silenced by an Aura Sphere colliding with his face and Jessie was hit in the stomach by another. Brock, Lucy, Meowth and the Pokémon looked on in shock as Ash walked towards Arbok and Seviper completely unaware of the scene he had created. Jessie and James lay on the ground groaning in pain, Wobbuffet was upside down in Victreebel's mouth both with spirals in their eyes, Cacnea had slammed into Yamask before hitting tree at the other side of the clearing, Yanmega and Dustox lay in a heap with Weezing, Amoonguss, Carnivine and Fearow all knocked out with a single hit of Ash's Aura Spheres. Ash strode purposefully towards May and placed his hands on her shoulders oblivious to the fact that both Seviper and Arbok had embedded their fangs into his shoulders, injecting him with poison. Ash moved his aura around May and fed it to make it bigger, this forced Arbok's and Seviper's hold on May to lessen. When there was enough space Ash retracted his aura quickly and lifted May out of the coiled snakes, Arbok and Seviper released their hold on Ash focussing their attention on stopping the rapidly closing coils trying not to get tied in a knot. Ash walked a few paces away carrying May bridal style, May still unconscious, before turning and launching two more Aura Spheres into the snake Pokémon knocking them out. Team rocket and their Pokémon lay in a pile in the middle of the clearing. Making his way back to Brock and Lucy Ash lay May on the ground and line up next to his Pokémon.

"Meowth take a few steps back." He said his voice sounding slightly mechanical. Meowth nodded still trying to process how one man had been able to knockout twelve pokemon and two adults without using Pokémon of his own. Ash turned to look at his assembled Pokémon and said two small words, his voice void of emotion.

"Nature's Fury."

The Pokémon nodded and readied themselves for the powerful combination they were about to use. Both Ash and Lucario charged large Aura Spheres, Pikachu collected his electricity ready to release a powerful Thunder attack, Sceptile absorbed sunlight for his Solarbeam, Floatzel took a deep breath to help the strength of his Hydro Pump and Charizard diverted all of his internal fire into Overheat.

"Now." Ash called as all of his Pokémon launched their attacks, all of the attacks collected together into a beam of pure power that kept flickering between all of the colours of the attacks and a bright white. Team Rocket didn't even get the chance to say their usual cry of blasting off as Nature's Fury propelled them into the air with such force that it looked like they had teleported away (which they hadn't), at least that what would have been seen if it hadn't been for the massive cloud of smoke and debris filled the clearing and the surrounding area of the forest. The explosion from the blast could be heard all the way in Cerulean City as noticed by a certain red-headed Gym Leader. Charizard started flapping his wings in powerful strokes to clear the smoke when it had been cleared the clearing had changed drastically, where there once had been an open clearing of green grass now stood an enormous crater the centre of which had turned to glass from the heat of the attack. The noise of the explosion had woke May but she didn't see what had happened as the cloud of smoke quickly filled her field of vision. Ash's aura faded, breathing heavily he looked over his shoulder and saw that May was awake and unhurt, apart from the small cut on her cheek. Ash fell to his knees then fell forward onto the ground face first passed out, the last thing he heard was May screaming his name. The last thought that went through Ash's mind was _ At least May's okay._

* * *

When Ash opened his eyes again he lay on his back staring at a white ceiling, he was lying on a bed and he heard a soft, gentle breathing to his left, turning his head he saw May sleeping in a chair next to the bed, her arms cross on the bed with her head resting on top of them. Ash tried to sit up but hissed in pain, his shoulders were wrapped in bandages, covering the bite marks he had earned from Arbok and Seviper. May woke up and saw Ash starting to lower himself back on to the bed.

"Ash you're awake." May cried happily as she threw herself at Ash wrapping her arms around him in a powerful embrace. Ash felt a wave of happiness flow through him but it was cut off by a flood of pain causing him to cried out, causing May to realise that she was squeezing Ash's injured shoulders.

"Oh Ash I'm so sorry. I was just really excited to see you awake. I'll go and get Nurse Joy." May said apologetically before running out of the room. A few seconds after May left Brock came into the room followed by Pikachu and Lucario. Seeing his trainer awake Pikachu dove into Ash's chest squeaking with joy, Lucario walked up to Ash with a smile on his face and put his paw on Ash's arm. Brock saw that Ash wanted to sit up so he helped his friend.

"Glad to see you're alright. You had us worried for a while, you've been unconscious for 3 days." Brock said. "You're back in Pewter City Pokémon Centre."

"How…" Ash said hoarsely before coughing, Brock handed his friend a glass of water. After drinking the water Ash tried speaking again. "How did I get here? What happened? I don't remember anything after seeing Seviper hit May. Is she alright? Was she hurt badly?" He asked.

"May's fine, she only had a small cut on her cheek which has healed now. How can you not remember what happened? You beat Team Rocket and their Pokémon all by yourself, without any of your Pokémon."

**Master you should not have done that, you nearly drained yourself of Aura.** Lucario said. **You nearly died, you know that it's too dangerous for you to expend a large amount of Aura without the gloves.**

"Ash after you collapsed we put you on Charizard's back and May flew you back to the Pokémon Centre while Lucy and I recalled your Pokémon except for Pikachu and Lucario, he refused to go back in his Pokéball and ran ahead of us to meet May at the Centre. That was three days ago and May's never left your side since except for just now." Brock said as he told Ash exactly what happened with Team Rocket. "I'm amazed by the combo you used at the end, what did you call it?" Brock was silent for a minute before he remembered. "You called it Nature's Fury. Where did you get that idea from?"

"I don't know how I thought it up, I just wondered what would happen if I combined the attacks of my A-Team. They use fire, water, grass, electric and Aura attacks if Krookodile was with me Stone Edge would have been used as well. All those attacks are elements of nature and you saw the power behind it, that's the fury part." Ash explained as May entered the room with Nurse Joy behind her. Nurse Joy checked Ash's vitals and took the bandages from his shoulders to see how the bite wounds were healing, she tutted and moved to get some clean bandages. As she moved May and Brock could see exactly how injured Ash was, his left shoulder had been bitten by Arbok and was nearly healed though there was still some swelling. Ash's right shoulder was a different matter entirely Seviper had buried his fangs into it, Seviper's fangs were drastically larger than Arbok's and that reflected in Ash's injuries there were two deep gashes surrounded by a large amount of swelling, even though Ash healed quickly it would still take a couple of weeks before they healed completely.

"Your vitals seem to be okay and your left shoulder will be fine in a couple of days. Your right shoulder will take a while longer to heal properly but you should be able to leave in the morning as long as you take it easy for a few days, to allow most of the swelling to go down." Nurse Joy told him. "The poison that was injected in to you has worked its way out of your system but the bite wounds will still hurt for a while. I'm telling you to not put any pressure on your shoulders and try not to move your arms too quickly as that might open up your stitches." Ash nodded and agreed to what Nurse Joy had said. Nurse Joy and Brock exited the room, taking Pikachu and Lucario with them, leaving Ash alone with May.

"May I'm sorry." Ash said dropping his head.

"What are you sorry for?" May asked in a confused tone.

"Because of me you missed the contest at Mount Moon. Because of me you were kidnapped and you were hurt. Brock told me what you did, how you flew me here on Charizard and stayed next to me for three days. I can't thank you enough for that but maybe….maybe you shouldn't travel with me anymore, I don't want you to get hurt again because of me." Ash' voice caught in his throat. May's face had turned red hearing what Brock had told Ash. "May I want you to be safe so…."

"Ash you're my best friend." May interrupted. Ash lifted his head looking May in the eye. "You've got nothing to be sorry about it was one contest, if it had come to it than I would have missed to whole of the contest season and Grand Festival so I would be here when you woke up. You risked your life to save me. Lucario told us that you could have died using your Aura like that." May's expression turned hard with tears in her eyes "Never do anything like that again. If you'd died while trying to save me then I wouldn't be able to live with myself." May said breaking Ash's gaze and staring at the floor tears streaming down her cheeks. With a bit of effort Ash was able to raise his arm and place his hand on May's cheek wiping away a tear. May was shocked by Ash's behaviour and could see he was feeling a bit of pain from his shoulder.

"May you're one of my best friends if you're in trouble then I would do the same thing again, the same goes for everyone else I'm friends with. All of you are the people I care most for in the world, you've helped me grow as a trainer and as a person, for that and the support that all of you have given me over the years I can never repay you enough, so if any of you need help then I will help you no matter what." May took Ash's hand in both of hers and lower his arm back to the bed to stop the pain he had been feeling, she smiled blushing even more at his words. They stayed like that for a few minutes in silence, May started to feel slightly awkward and decided to change the subject.

"Ash I meant to ask earlier why didn't Lucario talk to you while you were in the contest?" She asked.

"Normally Lucario don't speak English, the only other one I know…knew about was Sir Aaron's so together Lucario and I decided that he shouldn't talk in public. Telling the truth Lucario only spoke in front of you and Brock was because he could feel how much I trust both of you through my aura." Ash explained. They were about to continue their conversation when someone knocked on the door, looking to the door they saw Nurse Joy open the door.

"I'm sorry to interrupt Mr Ketchum." She said. "But there's a man here who would like to talk to you. He says it's urgent." Ash told Nurse Joy it was okay to let the man in. The man who entered the room looked to be in his fifties, he was tall and wore a formal blue suit and a white shirt complete with a blue tie. He had short grey hair and was clean shaven.

"Sir, I need to talk to you alone about private some…..private matters." The man said thinking carefully about his words while May was in the room.

"It's nice to see you again Henry. Anything you have to say you can say in front of May." Ash said. "I trust her and I know that she won't repeat anything she hears here to anyone." May nodded her head.

"That's true I won't tell anyone." She assured the man wondering who he was.

"Very well Sir Ketchum, Queen Ilene requests the presence of, as she puts it, her Guardian at Cameran Castle as soon as possible." Henry said. "There have been problems that she will only discuss with you and you alone." May wondered why Henry had called Ash, Sir Ketchum and felt a stab of jealousy at hearing that the Queen of Rota referred to Ash as `her Guardian`.

"I've got to stay here overnight but we can leave in the morning." Ash paused feeling May squeeze his hand, he looked at her could feel that she thought he was going to leave her behind. "and May is coming with us."

"Sir I must protest the Queen has requested your presence and no-one else's. I cannot allow it." Henry said firmly. Ash looked at him with hard eyes.

"Henry I don't like doing this but I will if I have to." Ash said calmly but with steel in his voice. "You keep calling me Sir, and you know of my position in the Queen's court so I order you to allow May to come with us." Ash and Henry stared at each other in a battle of wills, which Henry lost sighing.

"As you wish Sir but I will not be held responsible for this if the Queen objects." Henry bowed and turned to leave. "I shall return in the morning, will be a helicopter waiting for us. Farewell Sir Ketchum." Henry walked out of the room and left Ash and May in silence.

"Ash, who was that man?" May asked.

"That was Henry, He's Queen Ilene's advisor." Ash explained.

"Why does the Queen of Rota want to talk to you and why does she call you her Guardian? Why did that man keep calling you Sir Ketchum?"

"May, there's things about the past three years that I haven't told anyone not even my mom. This is one of those things because I don't want people to treat me differently." Ash said sighing.

"What do you mean by that?" May asked. Ash sighed again and pinched the bridge of his nose knowing that she wouldn't let the subject go. "Please Ash tell me. I won't treat you differently no matter what it is."

"Alright, I'll tell you but you can't tell anyone not Brock, Lucy, your parents, my mom anyone understand?" May nodded in understanding "Can you go and lock the door I don't want anyone to overhear anything." May stood up and walked to the door locking it then returned to her seat and waited for Ash to continue. Ash took a deep breath and started to tell his story. "When I was in Rota for my Aura training there were certain things that needed to be done, because the secrets of Aura training and all Aura Guardians originated in Rota and serve the ruler of the kingdom to be taught I needed to swear allegiance to Queen Ilene and to complete my training I had to be knighted and called an Aura Guardian, that's why Henry kept calling me Sir Ketchum. As an Aura Guardian and as a knight of Rota I have a position in the Queen's court as an advisor, protector and Guardian of the Tree Of Beginning. As for why Queen Ilene wants to talk to me I don't know." May was silent as she processed the fact that Ash had been given a title and a position of such importance.

"What about being called her Guardian?" May asked jealousy creeping into her voice.

"To explain that I need to tell you a bit about my training. I was taught by a man named Riley, I'd met him before when I was travelling in Sinnoh the first time with Brock and Dawn on Iron Island, he was the only Aura Guardian until I completed my training and he had the position in the Queen's court as Guardian of the Crown but Riley had to leave a lot of the time going out as an ambassador to other places or he needed to go an investigate so he would give me the instructions in needed to know for my lessons and told me to try and complete my lessons . Whenever he was away I would get temporarily promoted to his position because I was the only Aura Guardian in Rota and because of that I needed to be near the Queen, the first time that happened someone attacked her with an Ariados I jumped in front of her and tried to form an Aura Shield but it didn't work and I got hit by a Poison Sting and I was poisoned but I fought the battle and managed to get the Queen to safety. After that I passed out, when I woke up the next day the Queen was there later the doctor told me that she had stayed close by so that when I woke up she could thank me since then she has always called me `her Guardian` even when Riley was there and she would always come and watch my lessons when she had the time, as the queen she was allowed to see my training. We became close friends and that's it." Ash explained. As May was about to ask another question there was a knock at the door, rising from her seat May went and opened the door letting Nurse Joy in.

"I'm sorry to interrupt again but your eggs are about to hatch." said the Nurse as Brock and Lucy came into the room each carrying an egg, light pulsing from both. They placed the eggs on the floor in front of Ash and May, Brock helped Ash out of the bed and into the chair while May stood next to him. The eggs started to pulse faster and faster until they emitted an almost blinding light and the eggs started to change shape. Ash's egg grew in size and continued to do so until she was roughly four and a half foot as the light faded the Pokémon could be seen standing on four hooves and had a coat of cream coloured hair, with black innocent looking eyes fire flowed from her head and down her neck, her tail was also made of fire. It was a Ponyta but instead of the usual red fire, this one had blue fire. May's egg grew to about two feet in height, the black stripe that ran down the side lifted up and out to form a long mouth that was rooted to the top of the Pokémon's head, she had a pale yellow body which formed a skirt, she had black hands and feet. Her eyes were red and mischievous. It was a Mawile, when the light died Ash and May could see their new Pokémon. May immediately picked up Mawile and hugged her, Mawile was taken back at first but soon hugged May back. Ash lifted his hand up and placed it on Ponyta's head gently stroking her, Ponyta nuzzled into his hand neighing happily.

"Mawile you are so cute!" May squealed happily, spinning in a circle holding Mawile tightly while her new Pokémon giggle. Ash just smiled at May thinking _She really loves her Pokémon even though Mawile has only just hatched, I'm lucky to have her as a friend._ Brock stepped forward to examine Ash's Ponyta. Brock looked closely at Ponyta's coat and hooves before gingerly checking the flames that burned across the Pokémon.

"Ash this is a rare Ponyta, and she really strong as well. Her fire is blue because of her strength and feeling the amount of heat from it she's going to be a great addition to your team." Said the doctor in training, he then turned and examined May's Mawile. "May your Mawile is in perfect health and like Ponyta she'll grow to be really strong." May thanked Brock and went back to playing with her new Pokémon.

"Brock no matter what Ponyta is like she'd be a great addition to the team." Ash told his friend. Brock nodded knowing that the strength of a Pokémon didn't matter to Ash, as long as they were Pokémon Ash would love them and train them to be the best they can be.

"Hey Brock" Ash started "Where's Meowth?" Brock looked at his friend and sighed.

"He's with Officer Jenny." Brock said. "On the way back to the Pokémon Centre we ran into Officer Jenny, she was on her way to investigate the explosion that your attack had caused and when she heard Meowth talk she knew that he was part of Team Rocket and arrested him."

"WHAT!" Ash shouted "I need to go and get him now."

"Ash calm down. We went to the Police Station after we found out how you were and told Officer Jenny what had happened, Meowth even went back into his Pokéball to prove it so for the past few days he's been telling Officer Jenny everything he knows about Team Rocket. Where they have bases, their numbers, what crimes they are responsible for, some of the accounts that he had access to and a lot of other things as well. Officer Jenny said that with all of the information he's offered them she's willing to let him go with you unless you want to hand him over to be prosecuted for his crimes." Ash took all of this in as he thought about what to do with Meowth.

"I know what I'm going to with Meowth." He said finally but didn't reveal what that was.

The group spent the  
rest of the day talking and connecting with their new Pokémon, Ash told Brock and Lucy that he and May were going to travel to Rota as Queen Ilene needed to talk to him. A few hours later Nurse Joy came back to the room and said that Ash needed to rest so that he was well enough to leave in the morning. Ponyta and Mawile were put into their Pokéballs and given to Nurse Joy to look after for the night, May had gone back to Brock's house as there weren't any rooms left in the Pokémon Centre and Nurse Joy said that Ash shouldn't be disturbed so she couldn't stay in his room. Pikachu and Lucario were also told that they couldn't stay with Ash and went back to Brock house as well.

The next morning Nurse Joy check on Ash's injuries and told him that as long as he was careful then he could leave, Ash thanked her and got changed, gingerly, into his travelling clothes then he made his way to the Vid-Phones to exchange his Pokémon. He sent Charizard back to the Charific Valley, kept Lucario with him sending Sceptile and Floatzel back to Professor Oak while asking for Gardevoir and Pidgeot. Ash left the Pokémon Centre and met May, Brock and Lucy on his to the Police Station to collect Meowth. Lucario walked alongside Ash while Pikachu sat on May's shoulder.

"So Ash" Lucy said "What are you going to do with Meowth?"

"You'll find out soon." Was all Ash would say during their walk. Arriving at the Police Station Ash in and went up to the reception desk, requesting to talk to Officer Jenny a few minutes later she opened a door and asked for Ash to follow her. Officer Jenny lead Ash to her office where Meowth was waiting.

"Hey Ash great to see your back on your feet." Said the Scratch Cat Pokémon.

"It's good to see you too Meowth." Ash turned to Officer Jenny. "Is it okay if I take Meowth with me?" Both Officer Jenny and Meowth looked a little shocked by Ash's question, Officer Jenny recovered quickly and gestured for Ash to sit down as she went and sat behind her desk.

"The information that Meowth has given me was extensive and some of t still need to be verified but so far the evidence that's been investigated has proved to be true, in fact we have frozen a couple of Team Rocket's accounts and shut down three of their bases capturing the team members manning them." She paused to take a drink of water "I'm willing to return Meowth to you but if I hear of him being involved in any sort of wrongdoings then I will arrest him and I will arrest you as well for aiding in the commission of the crime as your will be responsible for Meowth's behaviour." Ash sat there in silence making sure that he understood what Officer Jenny had just told him, Meowth looked at Ash sure fearing that the trainer would just tell Officer Jenny to take him away.

"I understand." Ash said "Can I take Meowth with me now? I promise that I'll keep Meowth out of trouble." Meowth was staring at Ash in shock _He's taking me with him. I was sure that he'd turn me over to the cops. _Meowth thought to himself. Officer Jenny nodded her head and opened a draw on her desk, she brought out a Pokéball.

"This is Meowth's ball you can take him but remember what I told you. If he gets in any trouble at all both of you will be arrested. When you leave I'll be sending a message to every police station in the region so that they all know the situation." She handed the Pokéball to Ash who stood up and thanked Officer Jenny, Meowth got out of his seat and thanked her as well before following Ash out of the office back to the reception. May, Lucy, Brock, Lucario and Pikachu were sat down and when they saw Ash they stood up and followed him outside.

Ash knelt down and looked Meowth in the eye.

"Meowth thank you for helping me save May. I know that it must've been hard for you to turn against Jessie and James but you did it anyway because you knew that it was the right thing to do. You told me it was my choice for deciding how to deal with you after we rescued May." Ash paused thinking about how to phrase what he was going to say. "I know what I would like to do with you but I'm going to let you decide, do you want me to take you back to Officer Jenny, do you want to come with me, train to become stronger and become part of the family or do you want to be released?" Everyone's mouths dropped open at Ash's words.

"You….you're really going to let me chose?" Meowth stuttered.

"That's right. So what do you want to do?"

"I…I wanna travel with you, I wanna get stronger and I wanna repay you for this."

"Okay then." Ash said "One last question. Do you want to be go in the Pokéball or do you want to stay out of it?" Ash held the ball in front of Meowth.

"I wanna stay out of the Pokéball, it doesn't feel right." Ash put the Pokéball back on his belt and stood up, turning he was about to talk to Brock and Lucy when he saw Henry walking towards them carrying a large brown parcel. Ash quickly told Brock and Lucy that he needed to go to Rota as part of his Aura training.

"Sir Ketchum it is time for us to leave, but first you need to change into the proper attire." Said the advisor.

"Can't I just get changed when we get to Rota?" Ash groaned.

"Certainly not, you know the customs. When entering Rota for an audience with the ruling monarch members of the court must wear the correct apparel of their station upon entering the kingdom."

"Okay, okay no need to quote the proclamations to me." Ash sighed in defeat. "I'll go and get changed in the Pokémon Centre." Ash took the parcel and walked off with everyone else following him.

"What did you mean that Ash needs to get changed?" May asked the advisor.

"As a member of the Queen's court he needs to follow the royal proclamations and they state that when the monarch requests their presence they are to attend as soon as they can, wearing the garb of their position, be it a lord, lady, duke or any other position. Sir Ketchum has to attend whilst wearing the garb of his station."

Arriving at the Pokémon Centre Ash went to get changed while the rest of the group waited, after a few minutes they could hear a helicopter approaching and shortly after that Ash came back to the group wearing an exact replica of the clothes he wore the first time he had visited Rota. He wore the uniform of an Aura guardian along with the gloves, wide brimmed hat and cape. Everyone in the Pokémon Centre stared at Ash as he walked back to the group.

"I'm ready let's go." He said as he made his way outside. Henry nodded and followed Ash out with the rest of the group behind him.

Arriving at the helicopter Henry got in and sat next to the pilot while Ash and May said goodbye to Brock and Lucy before climbing inside and closing the door. The flight took about three hours, during the flight May and Ash talked about what they would do after visiting Rota and where May would be able to win her first ribbon hearing this Henry informed them that Rota was going to be hosting its first contest soon and the ribbon could be used to enter the Grand Festival. May they said that she would win the contest and Ash said that he would teach her some of the combinations he had created which would work well for a contest. The remainder of the flight was spent with Ash describing the types of combination and how he had come up with them.

When the helicopter landed in Rota Ash, May and Henry were rushed to the palace. When they approached the throne room one of the guards opened the doors and announced them.

"Your majesty Royal Advisor Henry Peregrine, Sir Ash Ketchum and guest have arrived for their audience." The Queen nodded wondering who the guest was. Entering the throne room May was astonished by the size of the room the ceiling was three stories high with large crystal chandeliers hanging down, tapestries hung from the walls depicting scenes from the Rota's past and the room was long enough for a Steelix to lie flat in with room to spare. May's eyes were drawn to one which showed Sir Aaron and Lucario standing proud, seeing the Aura Pokémon brought back the memories of what happened at the Tree of Beginning making her feel sad but her sadness was soon replaced with a realisation that Ash while Ash was wearing the uniform of an Aura Guardian he looked like Sir Aaron. Pikachu jumped off May's shoulder and followed Ash as he walked forward and knelt down on one knee with his head bowed down in front of the Queen, Pikachu stopped next to Ash and dipped his head as well. May was about to follow Ash's example but Henry held out a hand on her shoulder and motioned for her to stand to one side. Looking to the Queen, May saw that she hadn't changed much since the last time except her hair was slightly longer. May saw that someone was stood by the side of the throne, it was a man in his late twenties he wore a dark blue blazer, a black shirt with a gold chain around his neck, black trousers and he had a dark blue hat like Ash's on his head pulled down slightly over on eye.

"Queen Ilene, Master Riley." Ash said respectfully.

"Greetings my Guardian it is nice to see you again so soon." Said the Queen.

"Hello my student I can see that you have been training well, that is good." Said Riley with a smile.

"My Queen I came as soon as I could. May I ask why you summoned me here?" Ash asked. May was surprised at the way that had Ash spoken.

"I asked for you to return to Rota but the reason for you to be here came from Guardian Riley. It is he who must answer your questions." Riley stepped forward and pulled Ash to his feet.

"Ash I have trained you in the ways of Aura on and off for the past three years, in that time you have almost completed training that normally takes at least a decade of total training. What you have accomplished has never been done before, the only other known to have done anything even close to this was Sir Aaron he completed his training in five years. The reason I asked the Queen to call you back to Rota is for you to undertake the final part of your training."

"What is the final part of my training?"

"Why your graduation of course."

"What do I have to do to graduate?"

"You have to battle me and Lucario, without your Pokémon or using offensive Aura abilites." Ash's face went pale_ I have to battle Riley and his Lucario without any help_ he thought _I can't do that I've never been able to beat him on his own during my training. How am I going to do that?_

* * *

**So what do you think? How will Ash graduate? Please keep you suggestions for Ash's electric type coming in.**

**Please keep reviewing so I know know the story is going.**

**Until Next Time**

**Basic Trainer**


	6. Chapter 6

**First I'd like to say thank you again to everyone who has reviewed, following and favourited my story. I means a lot to me.**

**I've got a slight adjustment to make from the note on my first chapter, I've got Misty as being two years older than Ash when she's the same age. So even though she hasn't appeared yet when she does she will be 21 like Ash. The reason i had Misty older than Ash is because I thought she was older than Ash.**

**I finished this chapter a lot faster than I thought I would, I'm going to let you in on a little secret as too why. I've been writing while I've been in work, please don't tell anyone, I spend quite a bit of time waiting for stuff to come to me so I spent the time writing.**

**I'm going to answer a few question that I've gotten in reviews, I've meant to do it before but my memory is a bit scattered. At the moment I won't be introducing any Gen 6 pokemon I might do when I know more about them, I've decided which electric types Ash is going to have but you'll have to wait and see what they are, I know that Ash's shoulder is injured but that will be dealt with in the chapter and finally I know that my chapter are long I'll try to shorten them a bit but I can't promise anything I know what I want in each chapter and they will be as long as they need to be.**

**I'd like to say Thank You to Rose Duchess to the advise as well.**

**One more thing before we get to the chapter. I thank everyone for the praise they have given me but I have to say that to kalel201125 that I am not the best fan fic writer on this site.**

**Now enough from me, lets get on with the story.**

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Chapter 6

Graduation Day

While Riley was talking to Ash, Queen Ilene had been wondering who the guest that came with Ash could be. She then noticed that there was a girl and a Meowth stood next to her advisor Henry, she beckoned them both over and as the girl got closer the Queen recognised her face but couldn't remember where from. As May walked towards the Queen, Meowth walking alongside her, they stopped in front of the throne May curtsied and Meowth bowed slightly. Henry bowed to the Queen as well, he was about to introduce May when the Queen interrupted by asking May a question.

"We have met before have we not?" May was shocked that the Queen seemed to recognise her.

"We have met before your Majesty. It was a few years ago during the Hero of the Year Festival. It was the same year that Ash won." May said. "My name is May Maple, I'm a Co-Ordinator."

"Ah yes I remember you now. You helped heal the Tree of Beginning."

"Not really, Ash did the hard work I just went along to help in any way I could." May said sheepishly, blushing slightly as she rubbed the back of her head. The Queen saw this and giggled slightly.

"I see that you have taken after my Guardian. You must have been travelling with him for a long time." May looked confused and asked what the Queen meant. "The way you are rubbing the back of your head. Ash does the same thing when he feels embarrassed." May blushed even more than before as she hadn't realised that she was doing it and at how much of an impact Ash had on her life.

"I did travel with him for two years around Hoenn and then Kanto Battle Frontier. Ash was the one who helped me become a Co-Ordinator, even though he didn't know what a Co-Ordinator did at the time. We only started travelling again about a week ago, I'm going to compete in the Grand Festival and Ash is going to compete in the Indigo League and this time we're both going to win." May said as she rambled embarrassingly.

"I trust that you are here for Rota's Contest then." The Queen said. May nodded.

"I wanted to come with as well but Henry said that you had only asked for Ash. When Ash said that I was coming with him, Henry protested then Ash said something about using his position in your court and ordered Henry to let me come." May said, the Queen looked shocked and turned to her advisor.

"Is this true Henry?" She asked. Henry nodded and told the Queen everything that happened, the Queen then looked back at May.

"You must be very special to Ash. He has never before used his title or position, in anyway, to have someone agree to his wishes." May turned to look at Ash who was still talking to Riley before turning back to the Queen. _Why would he do something like that for me? _She wondered. Feeling slightly awkward May decided to change the subject and asked about the Contest.

"It's the first Contest that we have held in Rota and the winner gets the Aura Ribbon, unfortunately I cannot show it to you now it is being held safely in the Royal Vault. The Contest will be held in a few days and will have a slightly different format to normal Contests. There will be a double appeal round where you need to use two Pokémon, then the battle round will only use one Pokémon. We also have asked a well-known exCo-Ordinator to come and be a judge." The Queen explained but before she could go further she was interrupted by a cry of pain.

* * *

_A few minutes earlier_

Riley was telling Ash what would happen for his graduation

"You have two days to prepare yourself in whatever way you wish, be it meditating, training or simply relaxing. As I said earlier you can't use your Pokémon or any offensive Aura, however you can use your Aura to defend yourself and to speed up your movement, for example you can use your Aura to move quicker so you are able to block or dodge an attack but you can't use it to speed up your attacks or use Aura Spheres. Myself and Lucario are able to do this though, by tradition the graduation will have to be conducted bare-chested to show that we have no weapons, armour or Aura Crystals with us. You have to fight both your teacher and their Aura partner at the same time, you can't fight us at different times, the idea of the battle is to either knock your opponents out or remove them from the fighting area. The fighting area will be a twenty foot by twenty foot square, there will be posts stationed at the corners to show the borders and the student's Aura partner cannot take part. They are the traditions that have been around since the first Guardians and to graduate you have to abide by them. Come with me, we have some preparations to take care of. Where is your Lucario? I thought he would have walked in with you." Before Ash could answer, Riley clapped him on the shoulder causing Ash to cry out in pain and drop to his knees, torturous agony surging round his body.

"Pikapi!"

"Ash!" May ran to Ash's side and shot Riley a deadly cold glare. "What did you do to him?" She asked. Riley was in shock at the way May was looking at him and at how Ash had collapsed to the floor from a simple pat on the shoulder.

"I only clapped him on the shoulder, why is he in so much pain?" Asked the Aura Guardian. May then quickly told them how Team Rocket had kidnapped her, how Ash had come to her rescue nearly dying in the process from using too much Aura and how he had been bitten by both Arbok and Seviper. Riley knelt down beside her, while the Queen turned on her advisor, with fury burning in her eyes demanding an explanation from Henry as to why he had brought Ash here so soon after such an experience. Henry replied that he was unaware of how serious the injuries were and that he was following the her wishes of bringing Ash to Rota as soon as possible, while begging for forgiveness. None of this registered with May as she was only focussed on Ash, worry etched into her face as she talked in soothing tones, telling him he would be okay and that she was there for him, to try and help him through the pain but her words fell on deaf ears as Ash was fully consumed by the throbbing of his shoulder, his eyes not seeing May's face close to his as they were tightly closed in a useless attempt to shut out the pain. Riley tapped May on the shoulder.

"I can heal his shoulder but I need you to move back while I do it." He said not looking at May as he simply stared at the amount of anguish on Ash's face.

"Nurse Joy said that it would take the bite from Arbok a few days to fully heal but the one from Seviper would take longer because of the difference in the size of their fangs. How can you heal him?" May asked, Riley just gave a small smile.

"Nurse Joy doesn't know how to use Aura." He said cryptically moving forward slightly. Since the only people in the Throne room where himself, Queen Ilene, Ash, May, Henry and their Pokémon, Riley decided to stay where they were and conduct the healing process there. Most Aura arts were secret only Aura Spheres and Shields were known to be used by Aura Guardians but there were much more that Aura could do. "Ash, I need to remove your shirt so I can to heal your shoulders." Ash nodded slightly as Riley had spoken through his Aura so Ash could hear him while the trainer was trying to deal with the pain that pounded through his body. Riley quickly removed Ash's shirt and the bandages from the wounds. Riley lower Ash back down to the floor carefully trying not to cause any more pain before moving and kneeling by the top of his head. The Queen gasped and Henry went pale upon seeing the condition of the wounds on Ash's shoulders, Riley was taken aback by them as well but ignored the feeling of horror that sat on his mind and prepared himself for what the process of healing. He was about to tell May to step back again but when he looked at her he could see in her eyes that she wouldn't be going anywhere, she held Ash's hand and Pikachu who sat at Ash's side not taking his eyes from his best friend neither had any intention of moving. Riley closed his eyes and Aura started to glow around his hands, Riley's Lucario stood behind the Aura Guardian and placed his paws onto Riley's shoulders channelling his Aura into the healing process as well. Riley lowered his hands gingerly on to Ash's shoulders trying not to cause him any more pain, Ash flinched slightly but didn't cry out, Riley slowly released the breath he had unconsciously been holding and let his Aura flow onto Ash's wounds. Everyone watched as Riley's Aura drifted over Ash's shoulders passing over the injuries and causing the swelling around the bite marks to decrease and the punctures to slowly repair themselves. The process took a few minutes, the shoulder bitten by Seviper taking a little longer to heal then the other and when the process he finished Ash's shoulders showed no trace of the bite marks, as if they were never there. Riley slowly stood up feeling a bit unsteady, sweating slightly from the amount of energy he had used, he then helped Ash get up from the floor. When Ash was steady on his feet Pikachu jumped into Ash's arms squeaking happily.

"Don't move your shoulders too much for the next hour or so. You need to let the Aura settle otherwise you won't heal properly." Ash nodded and thanked his teacher and Lucario for their help. May was about to hug Ash but stopped herself when she realised that once again Ash had his shirt off so she looked away with a deep blush covering her face trying not to stare at him muscles.

"I am glad to see you are well once again My Guardian." Said the Queen. "Go to your chambers and rest until you feel your strength has returned." Ash nodded, bowed slightly and turned to leave before stopping and turning back.

"Henry said that you needed me to come back because there were problems that you would only discuss with me. What are they?" He asked.

"In due time My Guardian, in due time but for now recover your strength and prepare for your graduation, the reasons I called are not as urgent as Henry made you believe. I will have someone prepare chambers for your friend."

"There's no need for you to do that. I have plenty of room, May can stay with me." Ash said, the Queen smiled at him and saw a slightly flustered look on May's face.

"If that is what you wish My Guardian." The Queen replied.

Ash bowed to the Queen and started to leave with May and Meowth following behind him "One more thing My Guardian" the Queen started, waiting for Ash to turn back, an amused smile on her face "I would prefer it if you put your shirt back on, you would not want to become sick before your graduation would you and you know what happened last time you walked around the palace without wearing your shirt. You don't want a repeat of that do you?" Ash's face turned red and he handed Pikachu over to May so he could put his shirt back on. May made a mental note to ask Ash what had happened before once again curtsying to the Queen. "I will see you at dinner tonight and May is invited too." The Queen said, Ash nodded and left the Throne Room.

* * *

After Ash and May had left Riley turned to Queen Ilene.

"Your Majesty, is it wise for us to wait? With everything that has happened would it not be better to deal with the situation now?" Riley said causing the Queen to sigh.

"Guardian Riley, you know as well as I do that Ash possesses an extremely powerful Aura just as Sir Aaron did. To be able to deal with the situation Ash need to become a fully-fledged Aura Guardian with all of the privileges and abilities that come with the position and hope that he is the one that can solve this mystery." The Queen returned to her throne and sat down, "We can only hope that nothing happens before he graduates." She said solemnly. Riley nodded and bowed to the Queen, his Lucario doing the same as they retired to his chambers to rest and recover their strength.

* * *

As Ash and May exited the Throne Room Pikachu leapt out of May's arms and back on to his usual place on Ash's shoulder. Ash took his bag back from May, opening it to look for something, he put his hand inside and rummaged around before finding what he was after. "It's great that have you back were you belong Pikachu." Ash said looking at the electric type, "I didn't feel right without you on my shoulder." Pikachu responded by rubbing his cheek on Ash's and cooing happily, Ash then brought his hand out of his bag and showed Pikachu a small packet of Ketchup. Pikachu grabbed it, tore it open and started to suck the sauce out hungrily. May watched the scene and smiled warmly then she remembered what the Queen had said earlier.

"Ash, Can I ask you question?" She said playfully.

"Sure May, what is it?"

"What did the Queen mean when she said you don't want a repeat of what happened the last time you walked around the palace without your shirt on?" Ash thought for a few seconds, trying to hold back the blush that was creeping across his face, before answering her question as they made their way down a corridor to his chambers.

"Well, it was a little over a year ago I'd just finished some training alone at the edge of the palace grounds and my shirt was covered in dust and I was all sweaty so I decided to leave it off and walk back to my room for a shower." May watched Ash's face while he told his story and could see a look of confusion creeping into his features, "On the way I kept seeing women staring at me, I still don't know why, I must have had something on my face." May face palmed, at how dense Ash could be even now he was older. "Anyway I got back to the palace and saw the maids were doing the same thing, I got back to my room and tried to take my shower but the maids kept knocking on the door asking if I needed anything, it took me a couple of hours to take my shower because of them knocking on the door. Eventually I managed to finish getting clean and had to run to the dining room because whenever I'm here the Queen want me to have dinner with her and Riley. I was late and when I got there I told them what had happened, for some reason Riley started laughing when I said I didn't know why everyone was staring at me and why the maids kept asking if I needed anything. The Queen just smiled and said that she would tell the maids to let me rest after I've been training, after dinner I was walking back to my room and the maids were still staring at me." Ash laughed as he remembered something, "Some of them are a bit clumsy because they keep tripping over when they walk towards me and land on me, it still happens sometimes now. It has to be them because I've never tripped on the carpets. The next day the Queen told me she had talked to them and since then I've been able to take my showers in peace, though they still stare at me every now and then, some even ask if they can come and watch me train but it's not allowed, Aura Training is supposed to be a secret that only Aura Students and Aura Guardians know." May could feel a boiling pit of jealous in her stomach after hearing how the maids were acting and made a promise to make sure they didn't 'trip' by Ash again. May linked her arm around Ash's and leaned on him, carefully so she didn't put too much stress on his shoulder, when he looked at her she smiled and said.

"There's a Contest here so we need to be a couple again, in case we meet any other Co-Ordinators." Ash nodded and kept walking to his room arm in arm with May but in the back of his mind he wondered why he felt happier now he had linked arms with May then he was before. Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder and ran ahead to the room knowing that Ash and May needed some time together. Ash wondered why Pikachu had run ahead but decided to let Lucario out of his Pokéball, Ash asked him to keep an eye on Pikachu, Lucario nodded and followed the electric mouse. Meowth walked after them as well, wanting to see more of the palace and knowing why Pikachu ran run ahead.

"Oh May sweetie" said an annoyingly familiar voice. _Please no, not now, not_…May thought as she turned to the voice and saw one of the few people that she hated more than anything else.

"Harley, what are you doing here?" She asked trying to sound pleasant as he walked towards her, he looked exactly the same as he did the first time they met except for the fact he was a few years older, there was a girl alongside him she had peach coloured hair which was tied up in to two side spirals with lilac ribbons and her eyes were brown, she wore a light blue knee length dress and a white cardigan over the top, she was also wearing white heels. May recognised her but wasn't sure where from.

"Why, I'm here to win the Contest ribbon of course silly and she's here to watch me win." Harley pointing to the girl next to him

"In your dreams Harley, that ribbon is mine." Said the girl, Harley simply shook his head then he looked at Ash, before turning back to May seeing that their arms were linked.

"Ooh who's your boyfriend? Does he know it's not Halloween?" He said, the girl alongside Harley laughed. _That's good coming from you Harley _May thought but before she could say anything Ash started talking, wanting to see if they would recognise him, Ash pulled the brim of his hat down slightly to hide his face.

"Hi Harley, it's been a while." He said before turning to the girl, "It's good to see you again Ursula, how have you been?" Both Co-Ordinators stared at this strange person who seemed to know them from their past but they couldn't figure out who it was. May quickly worked out what Ash was doing and wanted to see how long it would take them to realise who Ash was as well.

"Do I know you?" asked Ursula as she tried to look at Ash's face but Ash moved slightly making his face more obscured, May also rested her head on Ash's shoulder to stop Harley or Ursula trying to see his face from the side.

"We met a few times in Sinnoh a few years ago, I was travelling with some friends one of them was a Co-Ordinator like you…only better. Her name's Dawn." Ash answered with a smile unable to stop himself supporting Dawn, though his smile couldn't be seen it could be heard in the tone of his voice. Ash knew that saying Dawn's name would basically tell Ursula who he was. Ursula's face turned red with anger hearing Dawn's name and how this stranger supported her, while May and Harley put a hand over their mouths to try to stop themselves laughing. Ursula ignored the clue that Ash had said, instead she flew into a violent rage.

"HOW DARE YOU!" Ursula screamed as she swung her hand to slap Ash's face. Ash dodged the attack by leaning back slightly and moved May out of the way just in case she was hit. Ash straightened up and looked at Harley still smiling.

"Just so you know Dawn's a better Co-Ordinator then you as well," Ash quickly looked at May then back to Harley "and May's better than both of you put together." Ash then gave a high pitched whistle before dodging a slap from Harley, May blushed heavily and tried to hide her face so no-one would see the crimson colour of her cheeks, she made a mental note to thank Ash for the compliment later. A yellow blur flew down the corridor and stopped on Ash's shoulder followed soon after by Lucario who stood at Ash's side and Meowth stopped next to May. Seeing a Pikachu appear on the stranger's shoulder was the biggest piece of the puzzle, realisation could be seen on both Harley's and Ursula's faces as Ash lifted the brim of his hat so they could see his face. Pikachu's cheeks let out small arcs of electricity, Lucario dropped into a fighting stance and Meowth extended his claws ready to defend Ash if they needed to but Ash raised a hand telling them to calm down, which they did reluctantly.

"I do know that it's not Halloween Harley but by order of the royal proclamations for the kingdom of Rota as a student of Aura I must wear the clothes of my station." Ash said as he tried desperately to remember how Henry had lectured him on the rules of Rota when he first arrived to take up Aura Training. Ash had spent hours trying to remember all of the different laws and regulations that he would need to know as a student and eventually Aura Guardian, there were still a lot that he couldn't remember.

"What does that even mean?" Harley asked angrily while still trying to come to terms with the fact that the man in front of him was Ash Ketchum. May chose this point to speak up and let Harley and Ursula know what Ash meant.

"It means that as a member of the Queen's court and an Aura Guardian in-training he has to dress like an Aura Guardian, he's going to graduate and become a full Aura Guardian in two days, isn't that right Ash." She said before lightly kissing Ash on the cheek.

"That's right." Ash said brightly as he and May turned to leave, Pikachu, Lucario and Meowth following them to Ash's room. They left Harley and Ursula in shock how the kid they had met on their journeys had changed, both of them stood in stunned silence until they heard Ash's voice echoed down the corridor.

"May's going to win the Contest, just you wait and see." Hearing that caused them to storm off plotting revenge.

Harley fumed at how Ash had mocked his skills as a Co-Ordinator and Ursula was still in shock at how different Ash looked now, no longer was he a slim, average looking boy he was now a well built, extremely handsome man, she could also feel jealousy creeping into her mind over the fact that Ash seemed to be in a relationship with May. A plan started to take form in her mind, _We'll see who Ash likes most and you won't like the answer May, _she thought menacingly as her eyes bore into May's retreating figure.

* * *

"Here we are," Ash said opening the door to his room, "Make yourself at home." May nodded and followed Ash into the room, when she saw it she gasped. A large sitting area greeted her, there was a couch and two arm chairs situated around three sides of a medium sized coffee table, a large flat screen TV hung from the wall and there was a Blu-ray player sat on a cabinet underneath the TV, various Blu-rays and magazines covered the coffee table and by a window was a desk with a small pile of books, May could see one of the titles _The Art of Aura_ May was a little surprised to see them, as Ash wasn't much of a reader when she had been travelling with him but she put it down to his training. May walked further into the room and looked around on the walls were posters of different kinds of Pokémon, some of them she didn't recognise, and photographs from Ash's journeys, taking a closer look at the photos May saw that they showed Ash's Pokémon and the people he'd travelled with. She saw one that must've been taken not long after Ash began his journey in Kanto, he was younger than when she met him and stood with Misty and Brock with Pikachu perched on his head, they were all smiling happily. Another photo showed Ash, Brock and Dawn, another showed Ash, Iris and Cilan, one taken while they travelled through Hoenn and many more, May kept looking at all of the photos till the one that hung in the middle caught her eye it showed her and Ash stood side by side each holding their half of the Terracotta Ribbon out so that it looked whole. May remembered when this picture was taken and smiled at the memory, a warm feeling filling her. Looking around the room again May saw that there was a small kitchen filled with the basic appliances and a set of glass doors that lead out to a balcony. It was then that she started to wonder where Ash was, turning back to the entrance she saw him taking his hat and cloak off, hanging them on a hook by the door.

"So? What do you think?" Ash asked turning to her, as Meowth, Pikachu and Lucario made themselves comfortable. Meowth sat on the couch, grabbed the TV remote and started flicking through the channels, Pikachu went and sat by Meowth, while Lucario walked out on to the balcony to meditate.

"Ash, this room is amazing." May replied. Ash then gave May a quick tour of his room showing her where the bathroom was, which cupboards held things like spare pillows, blankets etc and the last room he showed her was the bedroom. Once again May gasped when she saw the room positioned against one wall was a large four posted bed complete with canopy and curtains, the bed was a deep royal blue. There was another desk against the opposite wall, a large wardrobe and cabinet sat by another wall the final wall held a window and a large framed photograph. May recognised the photo it had been taken after Ash had come home from Unova with Iris and Cilan. Ash's mother had gathered everyone together to celebrate his near victory in the Unova league, the photo showed Ash, Brock, Misty, May, Max, Dawn, Iris, Cilan and Tracey kneeling in front of all of their Pokémon. All of Ash's Pokémon were there except for Lapras and Butterfree, as they couldn't be found. Brock had tracked down Primeape and Larvitar, Misty had called Liza to ask for Charizard, Professor Oak had contacted the Officer Jenny in charge of the Squirtle Squad to get Ash's brought to Pallet Town, Dawn had gone to collect Gliscor, Tracey even went in search of Pidgeot. May and Max had gone to Saffron City to ask Sabrina if Haunter could come, everyone then helped Mrs Ketchum set up the party and do whatever they could to make it the greatest party ever. Ash had been ecstatic seeing all of his Pokémon and friends again, he also apologised to Pidgeot and Primeape for taking so long to come back for them. (**AN I know that Haunter and Larvitar aren't officially Ash's Pokémon but it only seemed right to have them there**)

May was brought out of her memories when she heard Ash speaking.

"May, you can sleep in here. I'll sleep on the couch."

"No Ash I can't do that it's your room you sleep here. I'll sleep on the couch." May said, Ash just looked at her before shaking his head.

"May, you are my guest you sleep here and I'll sleep outside, besides if my mom found out that I let you sleep on the couch then she'd kill me." Ash replied laughing slightly, May wondered when Ash had become such a gentleman.

"Okay I'll sleep here but only on one condition."

"What's that?" He asked.

"We take turns I'll sleep here one night, you sleep here the next and so on until we're ready to leave. Deal?" May asked although her eyes said this was the only compromise she would give, Ash say the look in her eyes and did the smart thing by agreeing. May then walked up to Ash and kissed him on the cheek.

"May, what was that for?" he asked.

"It's to say thank you for shutting Harley and Ursula up and for saying that I'm a better Co-Ordinator then both of them." she replied.

"It's true, you are a better Co-Ordinator than they are." May kissed his cheek again before leaving the room.

"Thank you, Ash it means a lot that you think that." She said over her shoulder, leaving a stunned Ash standing in the middle of the bedroom. They spent the rest of the day watching films and getting themselves settled until a maid knocked on the door letting them know that their dinner with the Queen would be ready in an hour, May spent the time getting ready even though Ash told her she didn't need to. Once she was ready they made their way to the dining room, with Ash still wearing his Aura Guardian attire while May wore a white blouse and knee length black skirt.

The conversations during dinner changed constantly until at one point Ash asked Riley if May could attend the graduation, the Queen and May stopped talking and looked at Riley.

"The traditions dictate that it is the student's choice whether to have other observe but it can't be specific people, it has to be everybody in the kingdom who wishes to attend or only the student, teacher and monarch present." Riley replied. Ash thought about this while the conversation was changed to other subjects eventually he decided.

"I'd like to have everyone watch." He said leaving Riley with his mouth hanging open, the Queen nodded and May smiled at the fact that she would be able to watch Ash graduate and become an Aura Guardian.

"Ash, this has never been done before, in the history of Aura Graduations the student has never chosen to have everyone watch. It has always been the student, teacher and monarch present, are you sure you want to do this?" Riley said after recovering from his shock. Ash stole a quick glance at May, who was looking at him with a waiting look wanting to know what his answer would be.

"Yes I'm sure." He said immediately without needing to think about it _I don't know if I'll be able to do it if May isn't there to cheer me on,_ he thought, though he wasn't sure why. Riley nodded at Ash's answer and the conversation moved on to other topics.

The next day it was announced that the graduation ceremony was to take place in two days and anyone who wished to attend could do so, as long as they didn't interfere in anyway or be found to be gambling on the outcome, as it was a sacred rite all Aura Guardians under took and should be treated with the greatest of respect.

* * *

The next two days passed quickly, Ash trained by sparring with his Pokémon and running with his new Ponyta, to strengthen her legs so she would be as fast as possible. Even though May protested he insisted on helping her train for the Contest, teaching her Pokémon some of the combinations he had created plus some others May could use in case of emergency such as Harley using his usual dirty tricks. Some of May's Pokémon returned the favour by sparring with Ash as well, Blaziken managed to land a kick on him which worried both Blaziken and May but Ash just got back on his feet praising Blaziken's abilities. Harley had tried to mess with May's confidence and sabotage her training but Lucario would always sense Harley's approach and warn Ash, who would `accidentally` have his Pokémon send an attack in Harley's direction. Each evening Ash and May were invited to have dinner with the Queen and Riley, during dinner the Queen would ask them to tell her about their journeys together and how they felt now they were together again after so long apart, this made both Ash and May feel awkward so Riley would change the subject. The Queen was surprised to see that May matched Ash's appetite yet somehow still managed to maintain her slim figure. The conversations during dinner allowed May to find out more of what Ash had been doing during his three year absence, Ash told them about how he'd struggled to find the perfect place to train in the harsh conditions of Mt Silver, Mt Coronet and the other places he went to, he also told them how his Pokémon had saved his life when he'd slipped on ice or stood to close to the edge of a cliff amongst other situations. He recounted how his Pokémon evolved and how he caught new ones, surprising May at the number of new Pokémon he now possessed. Ash and May also met a Co-Ordinator called Sian who had straight ginger hair, pale skin and an infectious smile coupled with a sunny personality, May and Sian became good friends and promised to see each other in the final battle for the Contest.

* * *

Eventually it was time for Ash's graduation, the palace ballroom was prepared with four posts placed on the floor to make a fifteen square foot ring (**AN like a boxing ring without the ropes or raised platform**) in the middle of the room, with the people who had come to watch positioned around it at a safe distance. Riley and his Lucario stood by the Queen a cloak hanging over Riley's chest, a bell rang once and the doors to the ballroom opened and Ash walked in, wearing a cloak like Riley, with Lucario walking beside him. As Ash watched up to the throne he saw Meowth standing by May, Pikachu sat on her shoulder and Sian also stood by May. They gave Ash a reassuring smile and a small wave but he couldn't respond Riley had told him that he needed to follow the graduation traditions precisely or he would fail, during the graduation he was only allowed to speak to the Queen and Riley. He also saw that Harley and Ursula were amongst the people gathered to watch but ignored the glares they gave him. Ash stopped in front of the throne and knelt before the Queen, Lucario following him movements.

"Aura Student Ketchum, do you wish to become an Aura Guardian?" the Queen asked.

"I do." Ash replied.

"Are you willing to complete the challenge set against you?"

"I am."

"Then rise and take your place." Ash stood up, bowed to the Queen then to Riley and Lucario before turning and walking into the ring, Lucario walked to the crowd and stood by May. Riley and his Lucario stepped forward kneeling in front of the Queen.

"Aura Guardian Gen, are you and your Aura Partner prepared to undertake the challenge you have put to Aura Student Ketchum?"

"We are." Riley replied as his Lucario nodded in agreement.

"Do you swear, on your honour, to battle to the best of your abilities and not restrain yourselves in any way?"

"We do." Lucario nodded again.

"Very well, take your places." Riley and Lucario stood bowing to the Queen and then walking to the ring and standing in front of Ash. Both Ash and Riley then took off their cloaks drawing the attention of all the women present to the fact they were bare-chested, May felt a stab of jealousy because of the gazes that Ash was receiving. Henry walked between Ash and Riley collecting their cloaks and hats then retreated out of the ring. The Queen stood from her throne and spoke to Ash, Riley and Lucario.

"The rules of the graduation are simple," announced the Queen, "to win and graduate to an Aura Guardian, Aura Student Ketchum must either knockout his opponents or remove them from the ring. Aura Guardian Gen and his Lucario must do the same to Aura Student Ketchum. Aura Student Ketchum cannot use any offensive Aura during this battle, he can however use Aura to defend himself. Are these rules understood?"

"They are." Ash and Riley responded while staring at each other. The Queen turned her attention to the crowd, "Any person found to be interfering in any way will be severely punished and no warnings are allowed to be given to the participants of the graduation. If a warning is given then the person who gave the warning will be escorted to the palace dungeons. This is graduation is a sacred and honoured rite of passage for Aura Guardians, treat it with the respect that it deserves. Is this understood?" The crowd of spectators voiced their agreement.

"Then let the graduation begin," The Queen declared. Ash, Riley and Lucario bowed to each other then settled into fighting stances, arm raised ready to block or attack at a moment's notice. "Let battle commence!"

They stood still for a full minute until Ash charged forward, Riley jumped high into the air by funnelling his Aura into his legs and launched an Aura Sphere. Lucario ran to meet Ash forming a Bone Rush between his paws, Ash slide under the Aura Sphere and move his Aura into his arm to push himself back to his feet quickly but Lucario used his Bone Rush to sweep Ash's legs out from under him. Ash landed on his back but quickly did a handspring to get to his feet, he then moved in on Lucario throwing a flurry of punches which Lucario dodged before grabbing Ash's wrist and flipping him over. Ash jumped with the throw and landed on his feet only to be met with Riley standing in front of him, Riley infused his fists with Aura an landed multiple heavy blows to Ash's chest the final punch throwing Ash off his feet and causing him to land on the ground again only harder than before.

"Give up?" Riley taunted. Ash got to his feet holding his hand to his chest panting heavily, his eyes flicked to May and he saw a worried look on her face, Ash took his hand from his chest and stood tall trying not to show the pain he felt. The crowd of people watching were cheering both Riley and Ash's names but Ash ignored them focusing on Riley and Lucario, extending his Aura searching for any sign of their next move. He could just about sense them channelling their Auras into their palms. Both Riley and Lucario fired Aura Spheres and Ash, Lucario's came slightly ahead of Riley's, Ash smiled _Now to see if this works _he thought as he started to turn. Ash started to turn while moving some of his Aura into his hand and caught Lucario's Aura Sphere continuing to turn Ash manipulated the Aura Sphere slightly so that it wasn't as solid as it should be. When Riley's Aura Sphere came into contact with Lucario's Aura Sphere, it was absorbed into it, a look of complete shock formed on both Riley's and Lucario's faces. As Ash finished turning a full 360 he threw the Aura Sphere back at Riley and Lucario, who were in so much shock they couldn't dodge it in time getting thrown backwards and hitting the ground, Ash knew that he had been told he couldn't use offensive Aura but the rules didn't say anything about using his opponents Aura against them. The Queen looked at Riley for his reaction, not sure if this was allowed. Riley ad Lucario slowly got to their feet when they heard Ash's voice.

"Give up?" Riley smiled and looked to the Queen and saw the question in her features.

"What Aura Student Ketchum just did is allowed he did not use offensive Aura but used our own against us." Riley then looked at Lucario and nodded, both of them charged at Ash taking the battle to close quarters, the battle then rose to a new level of skill and speed. Blows were exchanged in the blink of an eye, deflected and counter, locks and counter locks flowed quicker than the eye could follow. After a few minutes Ash managed to land a solid punch to Riley's solar plexus knocking him back, Lucario then launched a new array of attacks at Ash while Riley got his breath back. Riley then circled around behind Ash and formed an Aura Sphere throwing it quickly, Ash sensed it's approach and waited until the last second before dropping to one knee and ducking his head, the Aura Sphere barely missed him and connected with Lucario's stomach knocking the wind from the Aura Pokémon and sending him close to the borders of the ring. Ash knew he mightn't get another opportunity like this so he sprang forward and delivered a spinning sidekick to Lucario's chest knocking him out of the ring. Lucario landed hard but quickly go to his feet and was about to enter the battle when Ash's Lucario stopped him and pointed to the posts, Riley's Lucario nodded and moved around the ring so he was stood by the Queen once more. Ash and Riley squared up to each other and started to trade blows again. May cringed every time that Ash was hit and near tears when he would hit the ground, she wanted to run to his side and help him or to shout a warning but she knew that she couldn't, she believed in Ash and knew that he would find a way to win. Ash's attacks and blocks were slowing down, he was tired and Riley had backed him against one of the post, Ash knew that if he didn't think of something fast then he would lose, he thought of this fight like a Pokémon battle to try and thin up one of his usual insane strategies. He risked a glance at May who saw him do so and gave him a bright smile of encouragement, that's when an idea struck him. Ash smiled and flared his Aura making it as bright as he could, everyone covered their eyes and Riley stumbled back temporarily blinded. Ash pressed his advantage hammering Riley with multiple body blows as fast as he could throw them before kicking him away, Riley swung his hands wildly releasing a barrage of small Aura Spheres. Ash quickly formed an Aura Shield, charging forward and deflected the Aura Spheres away, unfortunately they flew towards the crowd of people, Pikachu jumped from May's shoulder and used Iron Tail to stop an Aura Sphere hitting her while both Ash's and Riley's Lucario used Extremespeed to stop the Aura Spheres from hitting anyone else.

"Sorry." Ash shouted as he continued running towards Riley. Riley's vision started to clear and he saw Ash coming straight at him, he pooled his Aura into his fist and threw a punch at Ash's face. Ash dropped his Aura Shield and parried Riley's punch as he brought his own punch under Riley's guard and hitting him with a strong uppercut, having put the last of his strength into the attack. Riley was lifted off the floor by a couple of inches and then landed on his back. Silence filled the ballroom as everyone waited for Riley to get up but he didn't Henry walked into the ring and knelt by Riley before standing with a stunned look on his face.

"Aura Guardian Gen has been knocked out." He announced, "Aura Student Ketchum is the winner." The crowd exploded in cheers. May ran into the ring and hugged Ash smiling, she knew he wasn't wearing a shirt and was covered in sweat but she didn't care she only wanted to congratulate him on his victory. Ash was still in shock, he'd knocked out Riley _I did it. I've graduated, _a smile formed on Ash's face _I'm an Aura Guardian._ Riley's Lucario walked up to his trainer and channelled some Aura into him, Riley's eyes opened and he sat up when he saw May hugging Ash he knew what had happened.

"Alright!" Ash shouted hugging May in return, lifting her into the air and spinning round. Pikachu, Lucario and Meowth stood close by watching and shared a knowing look. They hugged for a minute before May remembered that Ash didn't have a shirt on, she quickly jumped back blushing and looking at the floor.

After everyone had calmed down and Ash was sent back to his chamber to clean himself up, he walked into the Throne room down the central aisle, bowed and knelt in front of the Queen again with his Lucario doing the same. Everyone who was present at the graduation was now seated in the Throne room. May was sat in the front row of chairs with Meowth next to her and Pikachu sat on her lap. Riley was stood next to the Throne with a smile on his face, his Lucario beside him. The Queen stood and called everyone's attention.

"I, Queen Ilene, Monarch for the Kingdom of Rota recognise Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, Kanto to have completed his Aura Training and passed his graduation. He has proved himself to be capable of fully utilizing Aura to protect both himself, Rota and those he holds dear," The Queen looked at May and smiled before turning back to the audience and continuing, "I hereby strip him of the title Aura Student and raise him to the level and title of Aura Guardian with all the powers and privileges that come with that station, he will remain a member of my court and a trusted friend." She turned to Riley, "Aura Guardian Gen to you have anything to add?"

"I do, Your Majesty," Riley bowed to the Queen then turned to Ash, "I am proud to have called you my student Ash and now to call you my equal. You have accomplished something only one Aura Student has done in the past, you won the battle," seeing the confused look on everyone's faces Riley continued, "The true purpose of the Aura Graduation is for the student to show proficiency in the use of Aura, which Ash not only did but also used it to defeat both myself and Lucario, the only other person who managed to defeat both his teacher and their Aura Partner was Sir Aaron." Ash's eyes were drawn to the tapestry that hung in the Throne room depicting Sir Aaron and his Lucario. "We shall now conclude the graduation ceremony by asking one other for their approval," Riley formed an Aura Sphere and said, "Great and powerful guardian of the Tree of Beginning, appear to us." Riley then dispersed the Aura Sphere creating a pulse of Aura that spread throughout the room, a few seconds later, in a flash of pink light a small cat like Pokémon appeared. Riley and his Lucario knelt before Mew and the Queen bowed her head as a sign of respect.

"Mew, do you oppose this new Guardian of Aura? Or do you bestow your blessing upon them?" Riley asked. Mew flew around the room before hovering in front of Ash, Mew lifted Ash's hat up and recognised him. She landed in his arms and cooed happily, everyone except for Ash, May, Riley and the Queen looked on in shock.

"Guess you remember me then." Ash said quietly, even though Ash had been to the Tree of Beginning during his training he hadn't seen Mew since the first time with Sir Aaron's Lucario. Mew flew out of his arms and started to glow, she touched Ash's forehead and Ash's aura glowed brightly then it died down and Mew disappeared in another flash of pink light.

"Mew approves of our new Aura Guardian." The Queen said before touching Ash's shoulders with a sword, "Now rise Aura Guardian Ketchum and May Aura Be With You." Ash stood up and bowed to the Queen and then to Riley.

"May Aura Be With You also my Queen." Ash replied, Riley stepped forward and turned Ash to face the audience and grabbed his wrist held his arm above his head.

"I give you Rota's newest Aura Guardian, Ash Ketchum!" Riley shouted causing the audience to cheered and applauded Ash's accomplishment, even Harley and Ursula. The Queen silenced everyone with a raised hand.

"In celebration of Aura Guardian Ketchum's achievement there shall be a feast held in his honour tonight." The crowd cheered again and made their way out of the Throne room, Ash waited until most people had left. He walked up to May and Pikachu jumped on to his shoulder.

"Congratulations Ash." May said.

"Thanks May." Ash replied, "I was wondering if you'd….er...ifyou'dcometothefeastwithme." He finished quickly.

"What did you say Ash I couldn't understand you." May asked hiding a smile, she had heard what Ash said but wanted to hear it again. Ash took a deep breath, letting it out slowly to calm his nerves, he then looked into May's eyes sending a shiver through her body as her sapphire eyes met his warm, brown eyes.

"May, I still owe you that…date… from Pewter City, so would you be my date to the feast later tonight?" Ash asked again before dropping his gaze and looking at the floor with a crimson blush across his cheeks. May giggled.

"Of course I will Ash, now come on we need to get ready." May said before grabbing his wrist and dragging him back to his room. May was busy trying on dresses that the Queen had sent to the room, so Ash was sat watching a repeat of last year's Johto League Silver Conference, Ash didn't need to find something to wear for the feast as he was required to wear his formal Aura Guardian attire. Lucario, Meowth and Pikachu were taking a nap on the balcony. Ash was watching a trainer's Machamp deliver a Focus Punch to his opponent's Luxray when there was a knock at the door, Ash paused the match and opened the door. Riley stood there with a smile on his face, his Lucario stood behind him, Ash let them in and closed the door, Riley stayed by the door and his Lucario stood by him.

"Ash, how did you use the Aura Sphere against us? I've been trying to work it out but I can't." Riley asked. Ash then explained that he had been training with his Lucario and while blocking an Aura Sphere he had managed to move it slightly and then wanted to try moving around completely and sending it back.

"It took a while to do it but we got there in the end." Ash finished.

"I understand that but how did you combine the Aura Spheres into one?" Riley asked again.

"I used the lessons that you taught me," Ash saw the look on Riley's face and continued,

"You taught me how to manipulate Aura so that's what I did, because the Aura wasn't mine I couldn't do much but I could do just enough to get it to absorb more Aura."

"That's ingenious," Riley exclaimed, "how did you even think of that? I've never heard of any Aura Guardian doing that ever." Ash just shrugged his shoulders.

"I just thought of it, I don't know how but the idea just popped into my head so I tried it." Ash explained, Riley shook his head in amazement before returning to the true reason why he had come to talk with Ash.

"Ash, there is more to the graduation then being named as an Aura Guardian. There something that you need to try. You need to…." Riley stopped talking as the bedroom door opened, both Aura Guardians turned and saw May walk out of the room. May stood there wearing a red dress which fell to just above the red heels she had on. The dress was slim at the top, to show her curvy body and the neckline fell to show a small amount of cleavage, the dress fell in all the right places and flared out from the waist to the floor allowing her to move about freely, with capped sleeves holding the dress up and a red ribbon attached to a headband sat on May's head. Her hair was lying straight down her back and looks silky smooth, she was a vision of elegance and loveliness.

"So Ash, what do you think?" She asked then notice Riley stood next to him, "Oh, hello Guardian Riley."

"Hello May and please call me Riley, there's no need to be formal. That dress suits you," He replied nodding his head. "Doesn't it Ash?" Ash's mouth hung open slightly and Riley had to nudge him to snap him out of the daze he was in.

"May, you look amazing." Ash said unable to take his eyes from the vision of beauty before him. May blushed and looked at the floor.

"Thank you Ash. You too Riley." May then turned and disappeared back it into the bedroom.

"You are a very lucky person Ash." Riley said once the door closed.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked, Riley just shook his head.

"You'll understand eventually," Riley saw the time on the clock, "Now if you'll excuse me I need to go prepare something for after the feast." Riley stood up and walked towards the door.

"Wait," Ash said, "What was is you were going to tell me?" Riley looked over his shoulder.

"It can wait for now. I'll tell you after the feast." Riley said then he left leaving a confused Ash staring at the door.

* * *

The feast took place in the ballroom with three long tables along three of the walls, Ash sat on one side of the Queen and Riley on the other, May was sat next to Ash. They were all sat at the head table along with various dignitaries and members of the Queen's court. The co-Ordinators and other people invited were sat on the other two tables. The Queen toasted Ash's accomplishments, thanked him for the services he had given to Rota in the past and had Ash retell some of the services he had done. Ash reluctantly told the story of how he had saved the Queen from an attack, leaving out the part that she now referred to him as her guardian, after Riley asked him to tell it when he hesitated. Trays of food constantly circulated around the room and although Ash and May piled their plates high with food they restrained themselves to eating at a slower pace than usual. A string quartet sat in the corner of the room playing a pleasant melody, once everyone's plates had been cleared away people started to move on to the dance floor between the tables. Ash and May had been making small talk during the feast but both felt a bit awkward because of it being a `date`. Ash saw May looking at everyone dancing and knew what he had to do, remembering the etiquette lessons he had been given at the start of his training he stood up bowed slightly to May and offered her his hand.

"Would you like to dance?" He asked, May was shocked that Ash had asked her but she took his hand and allowed him to guide her to the dance floor. Ash took one of May's hands in his own and placed the other on her hip while May put her other hand on Ash's shoulder, they then began to slowly waltz around the floor.

"Ash, when did you learn to dance?" she asked.

"When the Queen made me a part of her court, I had to take lessons on how to behave like one. A few of those lessons were on how to dance. What about you? When did you learn to dance?"

"I had some lessons when I was little and I can still remember them." May answered and for the rest of the song they danced in silence just enjoying each other's company. The song ended and they were going to make their way back to their seats when the Queen and Riley walked up to them. Riley asked if May would dance with him and the Queen asked if Ash would dance with her, they both agreed and danced with their new partners for another song before sitting down again to have a drink. After resting and declining offer to dance with other people, including a now angry Ursula, Ash and May walked back on to the dance floor and started to waltz again slowly making their way around the dance floor for the remainder of the night. It was only when the quartet finished playing and they heard everyone clapping that they realised they were in the middle of the dance floor and everyone else was stood at the side watching them. They both blushed heavily and gave a small bow before returning to their seats. The Queen called everyone's attention.

"I have an announcement to make, the Contest will be held in three days, and as all the Co-Ordinators taking part are female," Ash could see an enraged Harley towards the back of the room and suppressed a smile, "I will add another prize for the winner of the Contest. There will be a banquet in honour of the victor and they will also be accompanied to the banquet by Rota's newest Aura Guardian, Ash Ketchum." The Queen gestured to Ash and all eyes stared at him. Ash was about to challenge the Queen decision but stopped when he saw Riley shake his head, all the women in the room wore a glazed look as they remembered seeing Ash's bare chest earlier that day. After the Queen's announcement people started to leave the ballroom after realising how late it was, Ash tried to convince the Queen to change her mind but she wouldn't. May saw the Queen give her a look that seemed to say `you know what you need to do`, after failing to get out of the Queen's choice of `prize` Ash and May excused themselves and went back to Ash's chambers, they got changed into their sleeping clothes and said good night to each other. May went into the bedroom while Ash dropped on to the couch, he fell asleep straight away because of the exhaustion from the events of the day. May however lay awake wondering if Ash had felt the same way she did while they danced and how safe she felt in his arms. She eventually fell asleep making a silent vow that she was going to win the Contest no matter what, _Ash is going to dance with me again, nothing and no-one will stop me._

* * *

The days leading up to the Contest were spend training, Ash help May's Pokémon perfect their combo's and showed them some new ones, Harley once again tried to sabotage May's efforts but was stopped by Ash's Pokémon. Each night they would eat with the Queen and Riley telling them about the types of training they did that day and what they planned for the next. Finally the day of the Contest arrived and was taking place in a hall, specially built for the Contest, there was a private box for the Queen and a few others to watch from. Ash stood outside the Co-Ordinator's locker room with May.

"Good luck May, I'll be cheering you on." Ash said

"Me too, go and win dis." Meowth said.

"Pika Pikachu."

"Thanks guys, now go and sit down or you'll miss the start." May said Ash, Pikachu and Meowth nodded then went to the Queen's box, they were sitting there with the Queen and Riley. May took a deep breath and walked into the locker room, _I'm going to win and that's final,_ she thought. May quickly changed into her Arabian Princess costume and waited for the Contest to start.

"Hello and welcome to the first ever Rota Contest, I'm your announcer Julia. First of all I would like to that Queen Ilene for allowing this Contest to take place and supplying this beautiful Aura Ribbon," Julia held up a sky blue ribbon with a white border and a small blue crystal in the centre. Ash's eyes opened wide in shock, the crystal in the centre of the ribbon was an Aura Crystal.

"It's okay Ash," said Riley, "an Aura Crystal can only be used by an Aura Practitioner and cannot be broken." Ash nodded in understanding and turn his attention back to Julia, who was announcing who the judges were as they walked onto the stage.

"Now it's time to introduce our judges, first we have Mr Contesta, next is Rota's very own Nurse Joy and last but certainly not least we have an exCo-Ordinator all the way from Sinnoh please welcome Fantina." From the side of the stage a woman wearing a purple ball gown walked onto the stage, waving and took her seat next to Nurse Joy.

"I am pleased to be here for Rota's first Contest." Mr Contesta said.

"I want to wish everybody good luck." Said Nurse Joy.

"I cannot wait to see what we have in store for us today." Said Fantina (**AN please supply French accent as I don't know how to type one**).

"Now we have heard from our judges and we all know what the prize is," a spot light shone on Ash, "does her Majesty have anything she would like to say?" Julia asked, Queen Ilene stood from her chair.

"I wish all the participants of this Contest good luck and hope they all do their best to the beauty of their Pokémon." She said.

"Well then," Julia said, "Let's meet our Co-Ordinators." The co-ordinators walked single file onto the stage and bowed or curtsied to the Queen. "Okay we've met our judges and our Co-Ordinators so let the contest begin!" Julia cried.

* * *

**So what do you think? The new Co-Ordinator is based on a friend of mine, if you're not sure about her name it is pronounced Sharn.**

**That's all for now.**

**Until Next Time**

**Basic Trainer**


	7. Chapter 7

**I've hit my first milestone over 100 favs, thank you all. I know that I said that I'd try and make the chapters shorter but I couldn't stop writing this one so it's quite long. Sorry.**

**Before the chapter I'm going to answer some questions I've had from the reviews.**

**Guest: The point of Ash bringing out his A-Team against Team Rocket was because he was angry at Team Rocket, he wanted to rescue May quickly and after 3 years of not seeing them he didn't know if Team Rocket had gotten stronger so he brought out his strongest Pokémon to be certain of saving May.**

**Guest: Only time will tell if Zorua will make an appearance**

**Mewtworeborn: At the minute until I know more I'm not putting 'newtwo' or any Gen 6 Pokémon into the story.**

**Now on with the story.**

* * *

Chapter 7

Contest and Answers

"Let the Contest begin!" said Julia, "Our first Co-Ordinator is Ursula from Sinnoh like one of our Judges." Julia pointed to the tunnel at the side of the stage and Ursula walked out, wearing a black dress with a red ribbon around the waist, waving to the audience. She stopped in the middle of the stage curtsied to the Queen and then released her Pokémon. Both materialised in a burst of confetti and bubbles, one was a small cream coloured mouse with red ears, cheeks, forepaws and tail, its tail was shaped like a plus sign and there were cream coloured voids in the shape of plus signs on its cheeks. The other was an aqua blue Pokémon with a white ruff around its neck, blue ridges running down its back and a fin-like tail. Various fin-like traits were evident over all of its body including the ruff and its ears.

"Vaporeon, Use Iron Tail to throw Plusle into the air." Ursula told her Pokémon. Plusle jumped onto Vaporeon's tail as it took on a metallic sheen and was launched high above the Contest stage. "Now Vaporeon use Shadow Ball." Vaporeon formed a sphere of black energy and launched it into the air after Plusle, "Plusle use Swift." Plusle spun in the air to face the Shadow Ball and released a shower of stars, the two attacks merged together creating a shower of black stars, "Now Plusle Quick Attack." Plusle shot towards the ground leaving a silver trail of light behind it, landing on Vaporeon's back. "Now let's end with Flash and Acid Armour." Plusle shone with a bright white light and Vaporeon's body took on a watery effect, both of these combined created an effect which caused the shower of black stars to shimmer and sparkle, dissolving into a small fireworks display as they hit the stage. Ursula curtsied again and her Pokémon bowed, the audience clapped loudly until Julia started speaking.

"That was a wonderful appeal, now let's hear what our Judges have to say."

Mr Contesta spoke first. "That was a very good use of both Pokémon's abilities."

"Both Pokémon are very cute and their moves showed that beautifully." Said Nurse Joy

"Ce magnefic, ze use of both normal and ghost type moves shows zat even opposites can create a display of great elegance and beauty." Fantina said. (**AN This is an attempt at writing with a French accent. I don't think it's gone to well so from this point I'm going to write normally and ask you to provide your own accent.)** Ursula recalled her Pokémon, curtsied and left the stage while Harley started to walk on from the other side.

"We now have our second Co-Ordinator from Hoenn, Harley" Harley walked to the centre of the stage, wearing his usual Cacturne inspired clothes, bowed to the Queen and threw his Pokéballs into the air. His Pokémon appeared in a cloud of grey mist, one looked like a doll with three spikes on its head and a long ribbon hanging from its head as well. It had a zipper-like mouth and a yellow brush-like tail. The other looked like a spider, it had a red body with black stripes, there was a pattern which looked like an unhappy face on its abdomen. It had four yellow legs with purple stripes, two more legs on its back and white horns and mandibles.

"Ariados use Spider Web then climb onto it." Harley said, Ariados raised its head and shot blasts of webbing around the stage to create a giant web which stretched from one wall to the other then Ariados fired a single string up to the web and started to climb up it. "Banette use Shadow Ball and Will-O-Wisp." The ghost type nodded and summoned a number of small blue flames around its body before forming a Shadow Ball between its hands, the small flames passed through the Shadow Ball and changed from blue to black. Banette then spread the flames out around the stage and had them keep circling. "Ariados use String Shot on Banette." Ariados fired four strings of webbing onto Banette, one on each arm and leg. "Now Ariados make Banette dance." Ariados then started to pull and push on the strings making Banette move around the stage in a slow, creepy dance after a minute Harley spoke again, "Now Banette use Shadow Sneak," Banette nodded and melted into its own shadow reappearing behind Ariados with the webbing still on its arms and legs, "Now make Ariados dance." lowering Ariados to the stage Banette repeated Ariados' earlier movements, making the spider dance around the stage. "Finish with Electroweb and Thunder." Ariados launched an electrified web onto the giant web above the stage Electroweb's electricity flowed through the giant web and Banette released a Thunder into the web. The combined electric attacks caused the giant web to dissolve in yellow sparkles and slowly drift to the ground as the combined Shadow Ball and Will-O-Wisp fires extinguished themselves. The audience applauded, while looking slightly unnerved by the quite spooky appeal they had just seen, as Banette and Ariados stood by Harley.

"That was a…..unique appeal from Harley, now let's hear from out Judges." Julia said gesturing towards where the Judges sat.

"This appeal showed the sides of these Pokémon that they are known for. A good use of their moves also." Mr Contesta said.

"I agree, the puppeteer routine is something I've never seen before." Nurse Joy said.

"This appeal certainly was unique, I have to say that it was quite an eerie experience." Said Fantina.

* * *

Meanwhile in the Royal Box.

Ash was trying to show an interest in the Contest but his mind kept drifting to what Riley had told him and what occurred after the feast.

* * *

_Flashback_

After Ash had failed to convince the Queen to change her mind about him being a prize for whoever won the Contest, Riley pulled Ash to one side taking him into the Royal Vault, they walked past all sort of treasures until they stopped in front of a normal wooden door.

"Ash, there are things that you need to know now you are an Aura Guardian.", Riley started, "When Sir Aaron died at the Tree of Beginning, Mew brought a Time Flower to the palace, from what we can understand it contains Sir Aaron's last words but no-one was able to open it. Since then every time a student has graduated to become an Aura Guardian they have been brought to the Royal Vault, led to this room which holds all of Sir Aaron's possessions and asked to open the Time Flower, all have failed. Now it is your turn to try." Riley took a key from his pocket and placed it in the lock, he then channelled his Aura into the key and turned it, a blue light shone around the door and as it died away the door slowly swung open. Seeing the confusion on Ash's face Riley explained "This door can only be opened by using both the key and Aura." Ash walked into the room then turned to see Riley staying outside. "Ash, you must do this by yourself, it is tradition that only the new Aura Guardian is allowed in the room, their teacher must lock them in and remain outside the room until they are asked to open the door again." Riley then closed the door and locked it Aura glowing around the door once more, leaving Ash alone in the dark.

Ash summoned an Aura Sphere to give some light to the room, he saw Sir Aaron's staff and other belongings hanging from the walls and in the middle of the room was a small pedestal with a Time Flower sitting on a red velvet cushion under a glass dome. Ash carefully lifted the dome and placed it on a nearby table which was covered in old books, he gently picked up the Time Flower and channelled some Aura into it. He waited and nothing happened, Ash placed the Time Flower back on the cushion and turned to leave the room when a light started to shine behind him. Turning back Ash saw the Time Flower starting to open, an image began to form, it slowly came into being and Ash recognised the image, it was Sir Aaron. The image of the famous Aura Guardian then started to speak.

_'Greetings fellow Guardian, if you are seeing this then I am dead. This message is my last will and testament. Hopefully I fulfilled my task of healing the Tree of Beginning and served my Kingdom well, I consider it an honour to have died protecting both the Kingdom and its people. However there are other matters to attend to. You have succeeded in opening this Time Flower which means that you possess the same Aura that I do, as this Time Flower is special it will only open to my Aura.'_

_'There are parts of this message that must be shown to the current monarch and others only to be known by you. Once this message is finished you must show the following part to the current monarch, to show them this section just visualise it while opening the Time Flower,' _there was a brief pause, '_Your Highness, I am Sir Aaron,' _Sir Aaron bowed, '_May Aura Be With You, I have asked this Guardian to show you this message, they share my Aura and have the potential to be a great asset not only to Rota but to the entire world, this is why I am about to perform this rite. Guardian kneel before me,' _Ash knelt in front of Sir Aaron out of instinct from the authoritative tone is his voice, '_I, Sir Aaron, True Guardian of Aura and servant of Rota being unable to aid this world further, hereby pass all of my possessions to this Guardian along with my title of True Guardian of Aura.' _Sir Aaron moved his staff on to Ash's shoulders (**AN don't ask me how he knows where Ash's shoulders are, must be an Aura thing**) '_Now rise Guardian and if it has survived, claim my staff as your own. Your Majesty I humbly request that you approve of my decision and support this Guardian in all that they may do. I bid you farewell.' _Sir Aaron bows again then pauses, '_Guardian that is the only part of this for the current monarch to see, the rest of this message is for you and you only, unless I say otherwise. I am about to tell you the story of how I became who I am, I have never told anyone the story of my life except for Lucario.' _Sir Aaron paused again, '_When you claim my staff channel some of your Aura into the crystal and release Lucario from it, show him this entire message as he deserves to know.' _Sir Aaron's voice changed to a softer tone, '_Lucario, I am sorry for trapping you in the crystal, I am sorry for what I did to you, I know you think that I betrayed you but I only did it to keep you alive, if you had followed me to the Tree of Beginning then you would have died as well and I could not allow that, I cannot allow my partner die. I am truly sorry for what has happened and hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me but know this, to me you we were never master and Pokémon, we were friends, no we were more than friends, we were brothers. So I say this goodbye brother, hopefully we will meet again in the next life.' _Sir Aaron wiped away a tear and his tone changing back to being serious.

'_Guardian if you swear to keep what I am about to tell you a secret channel more of your Aura in to the Time flower'_ Ash did so and Sir Aaron started speaking again '_Guardian, my story begins in a small town far from Rota, I was born a peasant and orphan, my father had died in a war and my mother died giving birth to me. I was given to an orphanage and once I turned the age of four, I was put to work whether it was collecting lint from looms or carrying fire wood. When I turned six I ran from the orphanage living on the streets, stealing whatever I needed and selling some of it so I was able to buy food, I spent the next three years on the streets until I tried to steal a coin purse from an Aura Guardian, his name was Caleb, he caught me and was about to take me to be punished when he sensed the Aura within me. He brought me to Rota, took me in to his home he treated me like his son and he taught me how to read and write, then he taught me about Aura and how to use it. I learnt from him for five years and became the only Aura Student to defeat their teacher and Aura Partner during a graduation, After that I travelled the world and met many people with whom I became close friends, Kasumi was the first friend I made, she was a fiery woman with an affinity for water, Takeshi was next and wise beyond his years he taught me much about the world, Haruka a beautiful brunette who just wanted to travel along with her brother Masato, who had a knowledge beyond that of children his age, there was Hikari a woman with the bluest hair and a happy attitude which could not be suppressed, Iris the wild child with a love of dragons and finally Dent a man with a unique outlook on life and a great passion for everything. I travelled with each of them over eight years, sometimes parting ways and reuniting again later. Then during a period of time when I was travelling alone, I found Lucario and returned to Rota. After spending a few more years training with Lucario in Rota, I found something that had up until then been missing from my life, I found love. I found the most precious gift that Arceus had put on this world, I found my Sofia. We fell in love the moment we laid eyes on each other and were wed in secret, to protect her from various enemies I had made during my journey, within two months, we were happy together and now a year later we are soon to be joined by a son. I know it will be a son as I could sense the Aura within him and it was strong. However the war has come to Rota and I have to do my duty. Lucario is the only one who knows about my family until now. This leads me to this moment, I am about to attempt to heal the Tree of Beginning and I am not going to survive the process. I know this for certain and accept the outcome, it is what I must do to protect all I hold dear, my friends, my family and Rota.'_

_'Guardian, as you were able to open this Time Flower it can mean only one thing, that you are a descendent of my bloodline, if you are my son then know that I love you and your mother more than anything. I do this to protect you both and Rota and know that I will wait for you in the next life. If you are not my son and my family still lives then find them and show them this message. Guardian, the thought that you are watching this instils in me the belief that my family has survived the war and the ravages of time. One final message before I do my duty to the kingdom and the world, you are of my bloodline you possess a powerful Aura meaning that there may be a great destiny before you, if so face it with honour and courage and know that I stand by your side even during your darkest hour. Aura will be with you always.'_

The image of Sir Aaron faded leaving Ash in the darkened room trying to process all the information he had just been given, after a few minutes he banged on the door telling Riley to get the Queen. Later when Ash had shown the Queen the message meant for her, she agreed to support Sir Aaron's decision and said that first thing in the morning Sir Aaron's belongings would be taken to Ash's chambers, she used Sir Aaron's staff to officially dub Ash the True Guardian of Aura and agreed to keep it a secret as it would lead to too many questions that they couldn't answer. When asked if there was any more to the message Ash said he had sworn not to reveal anything he had been told. While Riley and the Queen both supported Ash's silence, they couldn't help but yearn for answers.

_Flashback pauses_

* * *

Sir Aaron's words had been repeating in Ash's head since that night. After opening the Time Flower and showing the message to the Queen Ash returned to the feast, May had asked Ash where he went. Ash didn't want to lie to her but he had sworn not to reveal anything so he told May that Riley wanted him to explain how he was able to send the Aura Sphere back during the graduation battle. The feast ended soon after and Ash had said to May that he would dance with her again when she won the Contest. He didn't say it but he was looking forward to dancing with May again but wasn't sure why.

Ash tried to focus on the appeal on the stage where another Co-Ordinator was using a Cherrim but his mind wandered again, this time to the reason that he had been called to Rota.

* * *

_Flashback resumes_

The day after opening the Time Flower Ash was called to the Throne Room, May was out training because the Queen's orders were that only Ash was allowed, as the information was sensitive to Rota's security. Ash entered the Throne Room to find the Queen and Riley waiting for him, he knelt before both of them then rose to his feet asking why he had been called and why May wasn't allowed, as she wouldn't do anything to harm Rota.

"The reason for being called to Rota was not only for your Aura Graduation but also for your expertise with a certain type of Pokémon," the Queen said, "and while May can be trusted, the fewer people who know of this the better. Recently Rota has some…incidents with Pokémon attacking the area around us."

"So you want me to stop them? Riley would be able to do that without my help and it doesn't sound like much of a secret." Ash said, Riley shook his head and sighed.

"Ash," he said, "the type of Pokémon attacking, they're Legendaries," realisation dawned on Ash's face, this is why it was being kept secret, "so far a Ho-Oh, Entei and Zapdos have been seen at different times, others have been rumoured but only those three have had confirmed sightings. They appear from out of nowhere, attack then disappear, we are hoping that with the amount of Legendary Pokémon you have encountered on your journeys that you would be able to stop them or at least figure out why they are attacking. We asked Mew for help but the Legendaries always disappear before she can appear."

"I'll do what I can." Ash said nodding as Riley started to explain when it began and where they had been sighted, during the attacks a few barns were knocked down, some fires and a few slight injuries but nothing too serious. After they had finished talking Ash bowed and left the Throne Room to find May and help her train for the contest. The days leading up to the contest passed quickly and without any appearances from Legendary Pokémon.

_Flashback ends_

* * *

Ash was lost in his memories until he felt someone nudge him in the ribs, turning he saw Riley smiling and clapping while looking at the stage.

"Wake up Ash, your girlfriend is on next. You don't to miss her appeal do you?" He said to his former student. Ash sat up and focussed his attention to the stage, Riley noticed that Ash didn't say anything about the girlfriend remark but did notice a slight reddening on Ash's cheeks.

"Okay," announced Julia, "our next Co-Ordinator is known as the Princess of Hoenn, the question is will this Princess find her knight in shining Aura, please put your hands together for May Maple!" May walked onto the stage wearing her Arabian Princess costume, smiling and waving to the crowd. Ash was mesmerised by her, she looked absolutely stunning. As she walked to the centre of the stage and bowed May saw Ash looking at her and winked at him. Ash turned red with embarrassment, he could hear the men in the audience whistling at May, his embarrassment soon turned to anger _They're treating her like an object _he thought _I have to put a stop to that, May's my friend and I won't let them treat her like that._ Ash started to stand forming an Aura Sphere when Riley put a hand on his arm, looking at his former teacher he heard Riley say.

"Ash, don't be stupid. From what you've told us May's been doing contests for years, she's learned to deal with this so sit down and show her your support."

Ash nodded agreeing with Riley's words, thinking for a second Ash released a small cluster of Aura Spheres towards the stage. The Spheres floated towards May and dissolved in a small flurry of light blue sparkles.

"Well," Julia said, "looks like we know who Rota's newest Aura Guardian wants to win." The audience laughed as Ash wave sheepishly when a spotlight shone on him. When the light turned away the Queen tapped Ash on the shoulder.

"We are not meant to show favouritism," she said, Ash looked to the ground feeling slightly ashamed, "however," she continued, "I too want to see May win the Contest." Ash looked at the Queen to see a warm smile on her face, he returned the smile and focussed on the stage once more as May was starting her appeal.

"Take the stage!" she cried throwing two Pokéballs in the air, her two Pokémon appeared in a flurry of light blue and pink ribbons. The first one was a small fox-like Pokémon with light blue fur covering her body. On the tips of her tail, ears, two rhombus shaped spots on her back and on her paws were patches of dark blue fur, the fur on her paws gave the impression she wore boots. On her head she appeared to be wearing a tuque which was an even darker blue. The second Pokémon was mostly pink in colour with white wool on his head and around his collar. He stood on two legs each with a single clawed toe, he had short stubby arms, black and pink spiral patterned horns on either side of his head and a blue sphere on the end of his tail.

"Glaceon, use Icy Wind." May said, Glaceon opened her mouth and blew out a frosty gale. "Flaffy use Thunder Wave on Icy Wind." Flaffy became shrouded in blue electricity and released a weak pulse, the electricity leapt from one flake to another freezing them in place creating a paralyzed snow storm. "Now both of you Ice Bolt!" everyone except for Ash and Pikachu looked confused they had never heard of an attack called Ice Bolt before. Flaffy stopped using Thunder Wave and switched to Thunderbolt, launching the attack into the air. Glaceon had charge an Ice Beam, the icy blue energy waiting to be released, the Icy Wind attack slowly drifted to the ground and created a wintery backdrop as Flaffy's Thunderbolt fell to the stage. "Glaceon now!" May shouted, hoping her timing was right, Glaceon fired the Ice Beam at the ground just before Thunderbolt hit, as the ice grew it trapped the electric attack inside. When Glaceon stopped the Ice Beam Flaffy's Thunderbolt was encased in the ice creating a beautiful light show, the audience were astounded by the spectacle before them (**AN, it looks a bit like a Thunderstone**). "Now both of you finish with Iron Tail." Both Pokémon's tails took on a metallic sheen as the jumped and smashed the ice/electric structure to create a shower of light blue sparkles with small sparks jumping between them. May bowed and so did her Pokémon, she waved to the audience, bowed to the Royal Box then turned to the Judges.

"Absolutely stunning, a marvellous combination of ice and electricity." Mr Contesta said.

"I agree the way your Glaceon was able to encase the Thunderbolt was amazing." Nurse Joy said.

"I have never seen anything quite like that before, the best appeal we have seen today." Fantina finished.

"Well, that certainly is high praise from our Judges. We now have our last Co-Ordinator please welcome to the stage Sian." Julia announced as Sian walked onto the stage.

Sian was twenty one, she wore a plain black dress which stopped just below her knees and showed a small amount of cleavage, her red hair was curled slightly to give it a wavy appearance as it fell just past her shoulders. She smiled and curtsied to the Royal Box as she reached for her Pokéballs, throwing them into the air her Pokémon appeared in a cluster of hearts. The first was a grey chinchilla-like Pokémon which sported scruffs of fur on her head, ears and neck. Her ears were large with white tips, she had big brown eyes, small rounded limbs and a long furry tail which also had white fur on the tip. The second Pokémon had a large head with blonde hair, pink skin, big eyes and a large pair of lips. Her chest, arms and feet were cream in colour and her abdomen was purple.

"Smoochum use Fake Tears." Smoochum's eyes started to water before she started crying loudly. "Minccino cheer her up please." Minccino nodded, ran over to Smoochum and used Tickle, Smoochum was soon laughing and then the two Pokémon started to play a game of chase. "Smoochum use Powder Snow and Psyshock," Sian said pointing to the ceiling, Smoochum fired a ball of snow into the air followed quickly by a sphere of psychic energy, "Now Minccino use Swift on Powder Snow." Minccino's tail glowed white as she spun around releasing a multitude of stars towards the ice type attack. When the two attacks collided then fused together creating a shower of white stars which fell into the Psyshock, this caused the stars to combine into one large white sparkling star which now had the energy of Psyshock glowing round its edges. "Okay time to finish this, use Echoed Voice." Minccino curled up her ears and together with Smoochum released a blast of sound, causing the large star to shatter into a cascading shower of multicoloured sparkles. Sian curtsied again as Minccino jumped onto her shoulder and Smoochum jumped into her arms.

"A marvellous appeal, well done." said Mr Contesta

"You showed the cuteness and playfulness of your Pokémon beautifully." Nurse Joy agreed.

"I am very happy to have seen such an amazing appeal." Fantina finished.

Sian curtsied to the Royal Box again then left the stage. There was a fifteen minute break for the Judges to decide who moved onto the next round. Ash took this time to excuse himself from the Royal Box and went to see May. He left Pikachu, Lucario and Meowth in the Royal Box as Pikachu was sitting in the Queen's lap being stroked, Lucario was getting advice from Riley's Lucario and Meowth had fallen asleep.

* * *

Ash knocked on the door to the Co-Ordinators room and it was answered by Sian.

"Hi Ash, come on in." she said, Sian knew that Ash and May were only pretending to be a couple but she could tell that they actually had feelings for each other, though Ash didn't realise it yet and May had confided in her.

"Thanks, you did great out there Sian." He said walking into the room.

"Thanks Ash but we all know who you want to win, your little light show said a lot." She replied, "May's by the TV. She was wondering if you would be able to come down here." Ash thanked Sian again and walked over to May, just before he got to her he felt someone hug him from behind.

"Hello, Mr Guardian," said a seductive voice, "Looking forward to our dance later?" Ash turned around finding himself face to face with Ursula. "Care for a kiss?" she asked raising an eyebrow before leaning in. Ash quickly broke out of her embrace and backed away, shocked at her actions. He saw Sian with a similarly shocked expression followed by a terrified one, confused as to why Sian looked scared Ash turned around and saw May standing there with an aura of fire surrounding her. May walked right past Ash and stopped in front of Ursula. Ash could feel the rage radiating from her through his Aura, though he wasn't sure why she felt so angry, it took all of his willpower not to back away from her in fear.

"What do you think you are doing with **MY** boyfriend?" May asked, her voice dripping with venom as she was barely able to her contain her anger, Ursula seemed unaffected by May's rage. Ash was shocked at the tone of May's voice he'd never heard her talk to anyone that way before, not even Harley or Drew.

"I'm showing him what he's missing being with you!" Ursula replied her voice matching May's. Ash could see May's hands were clenched tight and starting to rise, he quickly stood in front of May ignoring the glare he got from Ursula for rejecting her and focussing on May.

"May, calm down she's not worth it. If you hit her you could be knocked out of the Contest." Ash told her as he put his hands on her shoulders, channelling some of his Aura to try and get her to relax. It worked as the fire that burned in her eyes and around her died down, her hands slowly opened as well, she looked at Ash and hugged him, Ash returned the hug. As they were hugging May pulled a tongue at Ursula, who was struggling against the Psychic attack being used by Sian's Smoochum.

"May, let's go outside and get some air." Ash suggested, May broke the hug nodding and kissed Ash on the cheek before grabbing his hand and leading him out of the room, glaring at Ursula as she went. Ursula glared back silently swearing to humiliate May during the contest and have the dance with Ash.

"You two have fun and don't do anything I wouldn't do." Sian called after them teasingly. May smiled at her new friend, blushing slightly and left the room. Ash closed the door behind him as he followed her and walked down the corridor with May before stopping and turning her round.

"You were amazing out there May. Ice Bolt looked so cool. I wouldn't be able to do that." He said, May blush slightly.

"We wouldn't have been able to do it without your help Ash. Thank you but you don't need to be modest, I know that if you tried you'd be able to use Ice Bolt like that too." May replied. "I hope I got through to the next round cause I can't wait to use those combinations you taught Blaziken."

"May, didn't you hear what the Judges said? They said that it was amazing and they hadn't seen anything like it before, of course you've gotten through to the next round and I know that you'll get through that as well. After that you'll win the whole Contest, just wait and see. I believe in you and, you'll win this easily." Ash said, May looked at him with tear-filled eyes and Ash thought he had said something wrong but before he could open his mouth May launched herself at his tackling him to the ground, hugging him tightly and burying her face in his chest.

"Ash, thank you for saying that and thank you for showing me your support with the Aura Spheres, it meant a lot that you would do that in front of so many people." She said, though her voice was slightly muffled because her face was still on Ash's chest, Ash held May as they lay on the floor hugging and enjoying each other company. After a minute they both stood up with their faces glowing red when they realised what they had been doing. Ash brushed some dust off his cape and he caught May looking at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing," May replied, "It's just…you look very dashing in the cape, you should wear it more often."

"Really?" Ash asked, May started to nod and giggled as she picture Ash winning a Gym Badge and posing with the cape flapping in the breeze. The image was too much for her to take and she burst out laughing, confusing Ash. When May had gotten control of herself she explained why she was laughing and Ash chuckled.

"So that's a no to the cape then?" he asked. May nodded again.

"No cape, though you do look dashing in it." She answered.

"I'm not interrupting anything am I?" Sian asked as she opened the door to the Co-Ordinators room "May, the Judges will be back on stage in a minute you need to get back in here."

"Okay, I'll be back in now." May replied. Ash and May said goodbye to each other, May kissed him on the cheek "Thank you for what you've said and done for me today Ash." She said before going back to the Co-Ordinators room and Ash ran back to the Royal Box holding his cheek, trying to work out why there was a warm feeling filling his chest.

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen, our Judges have chosen the Co-Ordinators who will go on to the next round. Here they are!" Julia announced pointing to the screen. The first picture was May, then Sian, Ursula, Harley and four others. "Our computer will now match up our contestants for the first battle round." The pictures turned around showing a blue rectangle on each and started shuffling around the screen, when the rectangles were paired up they turned back to show the pictures. May, Sian, Ursula and Harley were each facing one of the other four Co-Ordinators. The battles went quickly, May was facing a beginning Co-Ordinator and didn't need to use any of the combinations that Ash had taught her, after her battle May congratulated her opponent for battling well and gave her some advice on how to get stronger. Sian battled an experienced Co-Ordinator and won by a few points, the same went for Ursula, who after her battle blew kisses to Ash causing Sian to hold May back from trying to strangle Ursula. The last battle was Harley's who, like May, faced a Co-Ordinator with only a little experience but during the battle Harley shattered the young boy's confidence by belittled his every move. The crowd booed Harley after the battle causing him to storm off the stage, May told Sian that Harley always did things like that and if she battled him to be on guard as if he thought he was losing he would do whatever he had to do to win.

"Now we have the semi-finals let's see which Co-Ordinators are battling first." Julia said pointing to the screen again as two pictures appeared, "It's Sian and Harley." Both Co-Ordinators made their way to the stage, May went with Sian knowing that she would be facing Ursula right after this battle. _I hope Sian wins this _May thought as she waited in the tunnel that led to the stage, she saw Ursula was waiting in the opposite tunnel glaring at her, _You're not winning this contest Ursula, _May thought, _I am. Ash is mine._ May then turned her attention to the stage to watch the battle. Sian and Harley both bowed to the Royal Box as they walked on to the stage, then took their places for the battle.

"Come on out hun." Sian said throwing her Pokéball to the stage. Her Pokémon appeared in a shower of hearts, she was a small, round pink ball-like Pokémon with cat-like ears and large eyes. She also had small stubby arms and a curl on her head. In one hand she held a marker pen.

Seeing this Pokémon Ash felt his blood run cold as his face went pale and saw Pikachu tense in the Queen's lap, both Riley and the Queen noticed the change in Pikachu and Ash. Meowth didn't notice Jigglypuff as he was still asleep.

"Ash, what's wrong?" Riley asked.

"That Jigglypuff stalked me and my friends for about three years, she would sing and when we fell asleep she would use that pen to draw on our faces. It took hours to get rid of the ink and our faces would be raw afterwards. Riley stop laughing or I swear I'll throw you to Unova." Ash said glaring daggers at his fellow Aura Guardian who held a hand over his mouth to hold back his laughter, the Queen just smiled and continued to stroke Pikachu to try and calm the electric type who seemed to be suffering from flashbacks.

May recognised Jigglypuff as well and felt the same way Ash did, she wanted Sian to win this battle even more now so that she could have a chance at vengeance against Jigglypuff. (**AN isn't it amazing how much one little Pokémon can affect people**).

Harley released his signature Pokémon. Standing on the stage was a green Pokémon which possessed a scarecrow-like body, he had menacing facial features such as yellow eyes and a mouth composed of multiple holes in it face. A number of spikes erupted along his arms, legs and neck, a pattern of diamond shapes extended down the front of his body and finally on his head was a triangular spiky-tipped feature which looked like a hat. The hat-like feature, spikes and diamond shapes were a darker green than the rest of his body. Harley's Cacturne had taken to the stage, towering over Sian's Jigglypuff.

"Five minutes are on the clock. Begin the battle!" Julia shouted.

"Jigglypuff use Sing." Sian called to the Balloon Pokémon, Jigglypuff took a deep breath and started to sing into the marker pen. Ash and May's hand shot to cover their ears, while Pikachu flattened his ears down under the Queen's hand to block out the singing.

"Jigglypuff – Jiggly –y-y-ypuff – Jigglypuff – Jiggly-y-y." sang the small Pokémon, Cacturne started to sway side to side and his eyes were closing.

"Cacturne use Faint Attack." Harley shouted. Cacturne slowly faded from sight and Jigglypuff stopped singing, looking for her opponent. Cacturne reappeared behind Jigglypuff and delivered a vicious punch, sending the normal type across the battlefield. Sian's points dropped slightly.

"Jigglypuff, Ice Beam." A ball of light blue energy formed in front of Jigglypuff's mouth and a beam of the energy shot towards Cacturne.

"Cacturne dodge it." Cacturne spun to the side evading the Ice Beam.

"Jigglypuff use Psychic on the Ice Beam." Jigglypuff's eyes shone blue as the Ice Beam curved in the air and hit Cacturne in the back, causing Harley's points to drop by a quarter because of the super effective attack.

"How dare you, Cacturne use Needle Arm." Harley shouted. Cacturne's arm glowed white as he charged forward.

"Dodge with Gyro Ball." Sian called to her Pokémon, who spun around dodging the attack. "Now use Shadow Ball." Jigglypuff stopped spinning and fired a sphere of black energy hitting Cacturne in the side. Cacturne was knocked off balance and fell when a second Shadow Ball collided with him, Harley's points dropped further.

"Cacturne get up now and use Poison Sting." Harley roared in angry unable to comprehend how he was losing to a Jigglypuff. Slowly Cacturne rose to his feet and spat a barrage of purple darts at Jigglypuff.

"Use Psychic to send them back." Sian called to her Pokémon, once more Jigglypuff's eyes glowed blue as she turned poison type attack against Cacturne.

"Cacturne stop it with Energy Ball." Cacturne formed a sphere of green energy between his arms and threw it at the Psychic controlled Poison Sting, the attacks collided creating a burst of colour causing Sian's points to drop to half. Both of their points were roughly even, Sian's only a point or two above Harley's. "Cacturne end this battle use Drain Punch." Harley cried, his Pokémon ran forward with green energy spiralling around his arm. Cacturne drew closer and closer to Jigglypuff but Sian made no move to counter or dodge, just before Cacturne's attack hit she shouted.

"Jigglypuff, Flamethrower!" The small Pokémon opened her mouth and blew out a torrent of fire which cancelled Cacturne's attack and threw him back. When the fire cleared Cacturne fell to the ground with swirls in his eyes.

"Cacturne is unable to battle, the winner and progressing onto the final is Sian." Julia shouted above the cheers of the crowd. The Judges praised Sian's performance as Harley left the stage before they could say anything to him. Sian thanked them for their words and bowed to the Royal Box as she left the stage. "We now welcome to the stage our second semi-final battle May and Ursula."

As they passed each other in the tunnel Sian wished May good luck. Both May and Ursula took their places at either end of the battlefield, they both turned to the Royal box and Ursula curtsied while May bowed. Ursula blew a kiss to Ash causing May to struggle controlling her anger, Ash ignored the kiss and smiled at May, seeing her friend do this the Princess of Hoenn calmed down and sent a satisfied smirk to Ursula who scowled back. Both Co-Ordinators released their Pokémon, May's Blaziken somersaulted onto the stage with fire flaring around her wrists, she stood tall and proud, stretching her leg with a few practice kicks. Ursula's Pokémon appeared on the stage next she stood on two legs and was dark blue with a red underbelly, under the red was a gold diamond as well as a gold cross on her snout. On each arm was a wing-like appendage, a dorsal fin sat on her back and another fin was on her tail. There were two horns on her head which resembled jet engines, spiked adorned her hind legs and arms as well as sharp claws. She roared trying to intimidate Blaziken but failed. Garchomp was ready for battle.

"We have put five minutes on the clock, our Co-Ordinators are ready so let the battle begin." Julia said retreating to a safe distance from the two powerful Pokémon on the battlefield.

"Blaziken, use Sunny Day." May said, Blaziken formed a ball of energy between her hands and threw it to the ceiling, it hovered there looking like the sun. "Now use Flamethrower." Opening her beak Blaziken released a horizontal pillar of fire at Garchomp.

"You use Flamethrower too Garchomp." Ursula told her own Pokémon, who obeyed. The two fire type moves clashed in the middle of the field causing an explosion, a cloud of smoke covered the field.

"Blaziken, jump out of the smoke." Blaziken appeared above the black cloud seconds later thank to her powerful legs.

"Garchomp, Aerial Ace." Ursula called, her Pokémon flew out of the cloud leaving a silvery trail behind her, aiming for Blaziken.

"Dodge with Acrobatics and use Blaze Kick." Blaziken somersaulted out of the way at the last second, spinning over Garchomp and delivered a flaming kick to Garchomp's back, sending the Mach Pokémon crashing to the ground. Blaziken then landed safely on the stage quickly settling into a fighting stance.

"That's impossible, Aerial Ace is always supposed to hit. How did you do that? Tell me!" Ursula demanded.

"It's all in the timing," May replied coolly, "plus I had a great teacher." May turned and winked at Ash. "Now Blaziken use Shadow Claw, with both hands." Blaziken's hands became shrouded in a ghostly energy which formed into the shape of large claws.

"Garchomp, counter both with Dragon Claw." Ursula said. Garchomp's claws turned light blue and as the two Pokémon clashed the energies of their attacks caused sparks to fly. May smiled this is what she had planned, both Pokémon were struggling to get the upper hand and couldn't back down or they would get hit. Garchomp was slowly gaining the upper hand so May put her plan into action.

"Blaziken, Solarbeam!" May shouted, shocking Ursula. Blaziken charged a ball of pale yellow energy in her beak and thanks to Sunny Day it was charged in a matter of seconds. Blaziken fired the powerful attack hitting Garchomp point blank in the face, sending the Mach Pokémon across the field. Garchomp had taken heavy damage from the attack but was still able to battle. Ursula was now extremely angry.

"Garchomp, use Dragon Pulse followed by Dragon Rage." Garchomp fired a pale green orb, swiftly followed by a dark blue dragon shaped attack. The two dragon type attacks combined into a large stream of energy heading directly for Blaziken. May knew that Blaziken's attacks wouldn't be able to stop or destroy the attack and if Blaziken was hit then that was the end of the battle.

"Blaziken dodge it." Blaziken jumped into the air again evading the attack, however the attack was now heading for May. May was frozen to the spot in fear, she closed her eyes and waited for it to hit. A breeze ruffled her hair and she heard the explosion from the attack but didn't feel it, slowly opening her eyes she could see that she was surrounded by a barrier of green energy. Standing in front of May was a jackal-like Pokémon with blue fur and metal spikes on the backs of his paws, it was Ash's Lucario. Lucario stood side on in front of May with one arm outstretched to form the barrier protecting May from the attack, when the attack died down Lucario let the barrier fade away. A clap echoed throughout the silence of the Contest hall followed by another and another, May looked where the clapping was coming from and saw it was the Queen. The Queen stood in the Royal Box applauding Lucario's actions, she subtly indicated to May that Ash was the one who sent Lucario to protect her by inclining her head in Ash's direction. Everyone else in the hall started to applaud Lucario, who bowed and then used Extremespeed to return to the Royal Box, May looked at Ash and mouthed _`thank you`, _Ash smiled back and nodded his head slightly.

Blaziken move in front of May looking back to see if she was okay and wanted to continue, May nodded firmly to her Pokémon and was ready to finish this battle, a confident fire burned in her eyes.

"Blaziken, Quick Attack." She said, Blaziken nodded and ran at high speed towards Garchomp leaving a trail of white light behind her.

"Garchomp use Dig to dodge." Ursula commanded. Garchomp dove at the ground but May was ready to counter, her training with Ash had prepared her for this situation.

"Blaziken send Garchomp into the air with Sky Uppercut." Blaziken's hand glowed light blue and slammed into Garchomp's jaw sending the Ground-Dragon type into the air. "Now Blaziken use Flare Combat." Blaziken jumped into the air after Garchomp while enveloping herself in fire, she then proceeded to deliver a flurry of Fire Punches and Blaze Kicks to Garchomp sending her crashing to the stage again. A cloud of dust blocked Garchomp from sight and Blaziken landed on the stage, Ursula's points had dropped to nearly zero and there were only seconds left on the clock.

"Garchomp if you can still move use Dragon Rush." She called to her Pokémon, there was silence in the hall everyone waiting to see if Garchomp was still able to battle when a blue light was seen in the cloud and Garchomp came storming out hitting Blaziken in the chest, sending her crashing to the ground in front of May. "Now Garchomp use Aqua Tail." Water swirled around Garchomp's tail and came crashing towards Blaziken. May saw that the Sunny Day from earlier in the battle was still in effect but fading quickly, she knew that to win this battle she needed to use one of the combinations Ash had taught Blaziken. _It's not perfect yet but it will be enough to end this battle. _May thought.

"Blaziken let's end this with Solar Spin." May shouted once more confusing everyone in the Hall as to what the move could be. Blaziken quickly formed another pale yellow ball of energy in her beak and fired another Solarbeam, this one was different than the first one as Blaziken also launched a Fire Spin around it. The pale yellow energy of the Solar Beam fused with the fire type attack creating a spiralling beam of orange energy, the combined power of the two attacks slammed into Garchomp. Garchomp was sent across the battlefield and crashed in to the surrounding wall, creating a large crater and another cloud of dust, the buzzer went, time was up and Garchomp fell from the wall with swirls in her eyes. The beauty of Solar Spin had cost Ursula the last of her points as well.

"Garchomp is unable to battle and Ursula has all of her points. So going through to face Sian in the final is May!" Julia shouted as the audience cheered. May ran onto the field and hugged Blaziken, thanking her for battling so hard and winning. May returned Blaziken to her Pokéball bowed to the Royal Box and left the stage to get Blaziken healed and ready for the final.

May was sitting in the Co-Ordinators room talking with Sian, May didn't want to battle Sian she was a friend and May didn't want to see her loose but at the same time didn't want her to win as she would get to dance with Ash. Sian noticed that May was quieter than usual and decided to change the subject from the upcoming battle to something else.

"You know May, Ash is handsome isn't he?" Sian said, earning a questioning look from her new friend.

"Yeah he is, why are you asking?" May replied.

"No reason," Sian was quiet for a few seconds, "Do you think he likes red heads?"

"Sian, why are you asking me these things?," May asked as a feeling of uncertainty and anger started to form inside her, "Do you like Ash?" Sian looked at the floor.

"Maybe a little," she said. May's mouth fell open, her friend liked Ash and had just admitted it to her when she knew that May liked Ash as well, "It's just that he's so caring and good looking and from what you've told me he's very heroic as well. Hearing all those things gets a girl's attention you know. Plus he's in shape I saw that during his Graduation." Sian continued, "Besides when I win this Contest I'll get to dance with him, I can't wait." Sian finished squealing at the end. May shot out of her seat, rounded on Sian and spoke in a calm but still quite threatening voice, all thought of not wanting to battle Sian gone from her mind.

"Ash is mine, I'm going to win the Contest and dance with him. Not you or Ursula or even the Queen are going to stop me understand."

"I understand but we'll just have to see what happens won't we." Sian replied coolly before standing up and walking to the stage. May stood there fuming before making her way to the stage as well.

* * *

"Here we are, this is the final of the Rota Contest. Our Co-Ordinators have shown us what they can do but now they have to do it one more time. Please welcome onto the stage our finalists May and Sian!" Julia shouted. The audience roared in excitement as the two Co-Ordinators walked on to the stage taking their positions on the battlefield. "We have our finalists, we have five minutes on the clock, let the battle begin."

"Come on out hun." Sian said releasing her Jigglypuff.

"Blaziken, take the stage." May cried, letting Blaziken out of her Pokéball. "Blaziken, use Blaze Kick." Blaziken's foot erupted in flames as she ran towards Jigglypuff.

"Jigglypuff, use Sing." Jigglypuff opened her mouth to sing a lullaby.

"Blaziken, use Quick Attack to get in close before Jigglypuff can start singing." Blaziken shot across the battlefield leaving a silvery trail behind her and delivered a powerful Blaze Kick to the Balloon Pokémon, Jigglypuff was sent skidding across the stage.

"Jigglypuff try Sing again." Jigglypuff took a breath and opened her mouth to sing but May had Blaziken get in close and hit the Normal type before she could start singing.

"Use Psychic." Sian called to her Pokémon, Jigglypuff's eyes glowed blue as Blaziken was thrown across the battlefield, "Now use Thunderbolt." Jigglypuff's body started to spark with electricity and a bolt flew towards Blaziken.

"Blaziken use Thunder Punch to catch it." Blaziken's fist crackled with electrical energy and the Thunderbolt was drawn to it, covering Blaziken's fist with even more power. "Now use Thunder Punch on Jiggypuff."

"Counter it with Rollout." Sian cried, Jigglypuff curled into a ball and rolled towards Blaziken as the fire type charged at the normal type, Sian was confident until she saw the smile on May's face. Blaziken threw the Thunder Punch and broke Jigglypuff's Rollout sending the small Pokémon across the battlefield and crashing into the surrounding wall.

"JIGGLYPUFF!" Sian shouted in fear but as the dust cleared Jigglypuff was seen slowly climbing out of the wall. She gave her trainer a look to say that she could still battle, Sian nodded to her Pokémon and let her return to the battlefield. Sian looked over to May and saw the worried look on her face.

"Jigglypuff's okay May, there's no need to worry about her." Sian called across the stage, May nodded and waited for Sian to make her move. Both Co-Ordinators had forgotten about their points, the only thing on their minds was winning the battle.

"Jiggypuff, Flamethrower." Jigglypuff let a torrent of fire fly from her mouth.

"Blaziken dodge with Acrobatics." Blaziken somersaulted over the fire attack.

"Now Jigglypuff, Hidden Power." Shining white orbs circles Jigglypuff's body before being sent towards Blaziken.

"Blaziken, Counter Shield!" May shouted, Blaziken started to spin in the air and used Flamethrower. Fantina's eyes widened when she heard May call of a Counter Shield. Hidden Power hit the flaming shield and ricocheted back at Jigglypuff, who dodged it gracefully. Before May or Sian could call their next attack the buzzer went.

"Time is up, let's look at the scores and see who our winner is." Julia announced because of the action packed battle no-one had been looking at the scoreboard. "The winner of Rota's first Contest and the person who will be dancing the night away with the new Aura Guardian is…..May Maple!" The audience exploded in cheers and applause.

"YES!" May cried happily, knowing that she would get to dance with Ash again and she that had taken her first step on the way to the Grand Festival.

May walked onto the stage and thanked Blaziken for her hard work, Sian walked over to Jigglypuff and thanked her for her hard work before returning her to her Pokéball.

"Congratulations May." Sian said holding her hand out, May shook it but was confused by the giant smile on Sian's face. "May, I just want to tell you that everything is said before I only said because I could tell you were conflicted about battling me. I said I liked Ash to get you angry so that you would go all out in the battle. I'd never come between a friend and the person she's in love with." May looked at Sian in shock.

"I'm not in love with Ash, sure I like him but it's not love." May said while sounding slightly panicked.

"May, the way you told me and Ursula that Ash was yours, the tone of voice you used says otherwise you love him just accept it. Now do you forgive me for doing what I did?"

"Yes, I forgive you," May said hugging Sian, "So you don't like Ash, right?"

"He is everything you said he was but I only like him as a friend. Nothing more." Sian turned to leave then looked over her shoulder, "By the way, Ash likes you too, he's just too dense to realise it so you might need to point him in the right direction. Bye." Sian walked off leaving May standing on the stage thinking about what Sian had said. May quickly pushed her thought away and made a mental note to sort them out later.

Ash, Riley and the Queen walked onto the stage. The Queen approached May holding a small wooden box.

"May Maple, congratulations on winning this Contest. I hereby award you with the Aura Ribbon." The Queen said opening the box and handing May the ribbon.

"I won the Aura Ribbon!" May said posing.

"I believe that Guardian Ketchum has something to ask you Miss Maple." Said Riley smiling as he dug his elbow into Ash's ribs.

"Congratulations May, I knew you could do it." Ash said, Riley nudged Ash again telling him to get on with it, "Would you do me the honour of allowing me to escort you the banquet tonight?" Ash asked bowing slightly, as he remembered the phrase that Riley told him he needed to use.

"I would love to go to the banquet with you Guardian Ketchum." May replied teasingly as she felt a surge of happiness and excitement course through her body.

* * *

Once the award ceremony was complete everyone left the Contest hall to get ready for the banquet later that night. Ash would be wearing his formal Aura Guardian Uniform again and the Queen had sent more dresses for May to choose from. A few hours later Ash heard May say that she would meet him at the banquet hall as she still needed a few minutes to finish getting ready, Ash said okay and left his room carrying Sir Aaron's staff, Pikachu sat on his shoulder while Lucario and Meowth walked alongside him. While she was alone, May tried to understand what she was feeling and realised that she might actually be in love with Ash. She then tried to decide whether to tell Ash or wait and see if he showed how he felt about her.

On his way to the banquet hall he meet Sian who was wearing a similar dress to what she wore for the contest except this one was longer stopping just above her feet, she had a gold ribbon wrapped around her waist like a belt and a pair of small heels with gold buckles on the toes. He walked with her to the banquet hall, when they got there he held the door open for her and said that he would see her later as he was waiting for May. Sian thanked him and went inside, Ash closed the door behind her and after a few minutes waiting and creating funny shapes with his Aura he heard footsteps coming down the corridor, looking in the direction of the footsteps Ash's breath caught in his throat. May was wearing a strapless blue dress that went to the floor, there was a slit that went three quarters of the way the dress that showed May's leg when she walked, the dress showed some cleavage but not enough for it to but vulgar, a white ribbon was tied round her waist and a pair of light blue heels. The dress showed off May's curves and matched her eyes perfectly, a shawl the same colour of the dress was draped over her bare shoulders, a silver chain hung around her neck with a small teardrop shaped sapphire hanging from it and her hair was tied in a bun with a curled lock of hair hanging by her face. Glaceon was walking alongside May with a small light blue ribbon on her head.

"Hi Ash, ready to go in?" May asked, Ash just stood in silence stunned by the vision in front of him. He tried to speak but nothing came out of his mouth. May turned to Lucario and thanked him for saving her during the contest.

"Ash? What's wrong?" she asked.

"May, you look beautiful." He eventually managed to say. May blushed and turned away.

"Thank you Ash, and thank you for asking Lucario to protect me from the attack during my battle with Ursula. Can we go in to the hall now?" she replied shyly, Ash nodded and held his arm out. May put her arm around his but before Ash could open the doors they were opened from the inside and trumpets started playing. Both Ash and May were confused by what was happening until they heard Riley's voice over the trumpeting fanfare.

"Presenting Rota's newest Aura Guardian and his date for this evening, the winning Co-Ordinator of Rota's first Contest, Ash Ketchum and May Maple." Riley was smiling at the discomfort on their faces from the attention they were getting as everyone in the banquet hall stood and applauded, well nearly everyone Harley and Ursula stayed in their seats and scowled at Ash and May. Ash could feel the eyes of the men in the room roaming over May's body and wanted to stop them, while May felt the same way about the women in the room staring at Ash. The feeling of so many people watching them made the pair unconsciously hold onto each other tighter. The embarrassed pair walked through hall, followed by Meowth, Lucario, Glaceon and Pikachu who had jumped off of Ash's shoulder when the doors opened, they walked up to the Queen and bowed/curtsied to her before turning to find somewhere to sit.

"Guardian Ketchum, Miss Maple your seats for this evening are here." Said the Queen gesturing to a pair of seats next to her. Ash and May sat down while Pikachu, Glaceon, Lucario and Meowth went to stand by Riley's Lucario giving their trainers some time with May, the meal was then served and while everyone was eating the Queen turned to Ash.

"My Guardian," she said, "Will you be singing for us tonight?" Ash started to choke on his food, May patted his back until he'd stopped.

"Do I have to?" he asked whining slightly, he'd had enough attention already tonight and still needed to dance with May, though he was strangely looking forward to it.

"Only if you wish to but I am wondering if your date for this evening would like to hear you sing." The Queen moved her gaze to May, urging her to agree.

"I didn't know that Ash could sing." May said, "Ash, will you sing for me please." May asked pleadingly while giving Ash the biggest puppy dog eyes he'd ever seen.

"Okay," he sighed, "I'll sing but I'm not that good."

"He is just being modest, he has a wonderful voice." Said the Queen, "He didn't tell anyone he could sing when he came here. I only found out because I was walking in the palace gardens one day, not long after he came here to start his Aura training and I heard someone singing so I followed the voice and found My Guardian sitting under a tree surrounded by wild Pokémon singing a beautiful song. Since then whenever he is here I ask him to sing for me." The Queen explained. May felt a pang of jealousy hearing the Queen refer to Ash as her guardian, _With the amount of times that Ash has helped me, I should call him MY Guardian _May thought with a giggle.

"What would you like me to sing?" Ash asked the Queen.

"Would you sing my favourite song for me?" the Queen replied.

"Of course my Queen." Ash said bowing his head slightly and was about to returned to his meal when the Queen said something else to him so only he could hear.

"Would you sing while you dance with May?" The Queen's tone was a questioning one but also had the undertone of it being an order. Ash sighed in defeat.

"Yes, my Queen." Ash replied before eating his meal again, May was about to what the Queen had just said to Ash but the Queen stopped her by asking where she would go for her next ribbon. The conversation about future contests carried on for the rest of the meal until the Queen nodded to the band in the corner of the room and then looked at Ash. Ash nodded and stood up, he turned to May and offered her his hand.

"Miss Maple, may I have this dance?" he asked, May took his hand and stood up.

"Yes you may, Guardian Ketchum." She replied with a giggle. The pair made their way to the dance floor. The Queen stood up and spoke to everyone in the hall.

"It is time for Miss Maple, our Contest winner to dance with Guardian Ketchum and tonight we have a special treat for you all. Aura Guardian Ketchum will be singing for us." The Queen then sat back down and nodded to Ash. Ash bowed to her then turned to the band telling them the song they needed to play. Ash then held his hand out to May, who took it and he twirled her before pulling her in close to start dancing.

"This might get a bit awkward May, the Queen asked me to dance with you while I sing." He said closing his eyes but before May could ask why it would get awkward the music started playing and Ash started to sing softly in a velvety smooth voice. Ash let the music wash over him, letting it carry away the nervousness and awkwardness of having to sing while dancing with the beautiful woman in his arms. May was stunned by how wonderful Ash's singing was and let it surround her so it seemed that it was only her and Ash in the entire room.

_Look at the sky, tell me what do you see_

_Just close your eyes and describe it to me_

_The heavens are sparkling with starlight tonight_

_That's what is see through your eyes_

Ash was about to sing the next verse when he heard a woman's voice start singing. He opened his eyes and saw it was May singing with him. Her voice was beautiful and worked with his perfectly.

I see the heavens each time that you smile 

I hear your heartbeat just go on for miles 

Suddenly I know why life is worth while 

That's what I see through your eyes 

Ash and May then started singing together their voices getting louder, ignoring the astonished looks from everyone else in the banquet hall, while slowly dancing around the floor. Warm chocolate brown eyes met sparkling sapphire eyes both Ash and May felt compelled to stare into each other's eyes and sing with all their soul.

_That's what I see through your eyes_

They became lost in the music and held each other close as they continued to move around the dance floor in synch with each other.

_Here in the night, I see the sun_

_Here in the dark, our two hearts are one_

_It's out of our hands_

_We can't stop what we have begun_

_And love just took me by surprise_

_Looking through your eyes_

While singing Ash and May glided around the dance floor, their faces only an inch apart and their eyes locked the whole time, speeding up or slowing down dependent on the tempo of the song.

_I see a night I wish could last forever_

_I see a world we're meant to see together_

_And it's so much more than I remember_

_More than I remember_

More than I have known 

Ash and May were totally lost in the moment and oblivious to the people around them and the looks on their Pokémon's faces. Meowth and Lucario were smirking, Pikachu looked slightly confused and Glaceon had a small smile on her face as she stood close to Pikachu.

_Here in the night, I see the sun_

_Here in the dark, our two hearts are one_

_It's out of our hands_

_We can't stop what we have begun_

_And love just took me by surprise_

_Looking through your eyes_

The song was ending so Ash and May were stopped moving round the dance floor and stood swaying gently side to side while still looking into each other's eyes.

_Looking through your eyes_

As the song finished Ash dipped May on the last note. Everyone rose from their seats and applauded both their singing and dancing, Ash and May then realised that they weren't alone and they bowed/curtsied while they blushed a bright red from embarrassment, until the band started to play another song and more people came to the dance floor, praising their performance.

"May, you've got a great singing voice. How long have you been able to sing like that?" Ash asked.

"I've been singing since I was little, I usually sing when I'm alone but when you started singing I just felt the need to sing with you. I don't know why." May replied.

Ash and May danced together for most of the night except for two times, one when the Queen cut in and another when May needed to rest her feet and Sian wanted to dance. Sian promised May that she would make sure Ursula didn't come anywhere near Ash while May was gone. A few hours later May and Ash and stopped dancing and were sat down having a drink.

"Ash, I need to get some air." May said standing up.

"Okay May I'll come with you. I need to get out of here for a bit, I don't like the way Ursula is looking at me." Ash replied standing as well picking up his new staff, May looked in Ursula's direction and saw the look of desire and anger on her face as she stared at Ash and May. May positioned herself between them and kissed Ash on the cheek.

"Thank you for the dance and you have an amazing voice. Now let's go and get some air." May said taking Ash's arm and holding his hand, she then walked with him to the doors that lead out to the palace gardens. They walked around the gardens in silence for a few minutes, Ash noticed that May was shivering. Ash let go of May's hand, causing her to look at him questioningly, he then took off his cape, stood in front of May and draped it over her shoulders.

"I saw that you were cold." He explained before taking May's hand again, May took a step closer to Ash leaving only a small space between them. Feeling that this had been a perfect and quite romantic evening, May decided to tell Ash how she felt but she was scared.

"Ash, there's something I need to tell you but I scared about how you'll react to it." May said softly.

"May, you can tell me anything you know that." Ash said as he moved the loose lock of hair behind May's ear, his fingertips brushing against her skin. May leaned in closer to Ash and he, unconsciously leaned closer to her, their lips nearly touching.

"I wanted to say that I really enjoyed tonight and that you have a wonderful singing voice. Ash, I think I lo…." May said as her face slowly edged towards Ash's their lips were millimetres apart when they heard a scream coming from the banquet hall. They both jerked back and wondered what had just happened to them, they heard another scream and ran back to the hall. Entering through the doors they saw in the middle of the dance floor, standing over an unconscious Riley, was an Entei.

* * *

**Disclaimer I don't own Pokémon or the Song I've included.**

**The song is called Looking through your eyes and is from the film Magic Sword Quest for Camelot.**

**Please review and tell me what you think.**

**Thanks for reading**

**Later guys and girls**

**Basic Trainer**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello again.**

**I know that some of you probably hate me for how the last chapter ended but I couldn't help it I had to do it.**

**There's some Pokéspeech in this chapter but it should be understandable with the setting its in.**

**That's enough from me lets get on with the story**

* * *

Chapter 8

When Legends Attack

Ash and May stopped in their tracks when they saw the Legendary Volcano Pokémon standing over an unconscious Riley. Ash moved in front of May as Entei turned to face them, Ash's grip on his staff tightened as he lifted it from his side.

"May, get out of here now." Ash urged the brunette. May shook her head.

"No, I'm staying with you. You can't fight a Legendary Pokémon alone." She replied. Ash was about to tell May to leave again when he saw that there were still people in the banquet hall and they were too scared to move, he could see that the Queen had gotten out but Sian, Ursula and Harley were still there. Even though he wasn't too fond of Ursula or Harley he didn't want to see them get hurt, so he quickly came up with a plan.

"Okay, May I need you to try and get everyone out of here so they don't get hurt. I'll distract Entei." Ash said. May was about to protest and say that she could look after herself but she stopped herself and knew that Ash was right and that he stood a better chance of stopping Entei if the room was empty. She started to move when Entei took a step forward, she froze and winced when Entei let out a deafening roar. Ash moved the opposite way May had gone and formed an Aura Sphere throwing in front of the Legendary Pokémon's face to get its attention. Ash's plan worked, problem was he didn't know what he was going to do next, he couldn't start a battle now because the people in the hall could get hurt and Riley was still unconscious at Entei's feet. Ash could sense the Aura coming from Entei and it seemed familiar but he didn't have time to try and place it as he kept throwing Aura Spheres to keep Entei looking at him and not at May.

As Entei turned to focus on Ash, May started to move again slowly making her way to the closest group of people, May noticed that Glaceon and Ash's Pokémon were close and enlisted their help in evacuating the hall, she sent Pikachu to help Ash while asking Lucario, Meowth and Glaceon to help her.

Pikachu was making his way round to Ash when he saw Riley's Lucario running back into the hall. Lucario stopped, quickly assessed the situation and waited to see what Ash was going to do, Pikachu did the same, ready to move at a moment's notice if Ash told him to. Ash saw Lucario and Pikachu waiting for his signal, he threw another Aura Sphere trying to force Entei away from Riley and out of the hall into the gardens so that he could battle properly. Ash had left his Pokéballs in his room and May had only brought Glaceon with her, Ash racked his brain trying to come up with a plan but nothing came. The constant barrage of Aura Spheres force Entei towards the doors that led outside, Riley's Lucario seized his chance and used Extremespeed to get to Riley but Entei was fast as well. Entei launched a Flamethrower that hit Lucario full force in the chest and the momentum from Extremespeed increased the damage, Lucario was thrown back out of the doors leading to the rest of the palace.

"LUCARIO!" Ash shouted, reacting out of instinct he sprinted across the hall to get to Lucario but was cut off from the doors by another flamethrower. Turning on the Volcano Pokémon Ash threw a large Aura Sphere hitting the legend in the face, Entei was about to fire another Flamethrower at Ash but was stopped by a Thunder attack from Pikachu. Whirling round Entei bore down on the electric mouse, who showed no fear by staring the Legend in the eyes with arcs of electricity flying from his red cheeks.

"Pika!" (Translation – "Bring it!") (**AN Pikachu is Badass**)

* * *

May had gotten most people out of the hall with the help of Sian, Ursula and surprisingly Harley along with the Pokémon when she heard Ash cry out, she turned and saw Riley's Lucario lying just outside the doors and a Flamethrower barely missing Ash. Her hands covered her mouth as she Entei about to attack again when Pikachu came to the rescue, she turned to Ash's Lucario and Meowth.

"Please help him!" she begged desperately, both Pokémon nodded and ran forward. She then turned to Sian, "Get the rest of the people out of here," Sian nodded in agreement and started move to the next group of people with Ursula and Harley splitting up and doing the same. May looked to her loyal ice type, "Come on Glaceon, we need to go and get help." Glaceon nodded and together they left the banquet hall in search of help.

* * *

Pikachu was dodging Entei's attacks while Ash shouted out warnings, neither of them noticed Ash's Lucario charge in with an Aura Sphere infused Force Palm. The combined attack (**AN I call it Aura Force**) knocked the Legendary dog away from Riley and closer to the doors, Meowth ran to Riley and tried to drag him away from the battle but struggled until Ash came up beside him and helped. Together they managed to get Riley to the doors that led the rest of the palace, Sian, Ursula and Harley had just finished getting everyone out of the hall so they took Riley from Ash and Meowth, promising to make sure he would be okay. Ash noticed that May was missing and asked where she was, Sian told him that she had gone to get help, Ash nodded and together with Meowth returned to the battle, which had moved away from the doors leading to the garden and was now in the middle of the hall. Debris was scattered around the room, shattered chairs, broken tables, scorch marks and small carters covered the floor and walls.

Pikachu and Lucario were working as a team against Entei but even though they were both exceptionally strong Pokémon they were still losing to the Legendary, the battle had only been going for a few minutes but they were still covered in small burns and bruises. Ash saw how badly the battle was going and channelled his Aura into the crystal on his staff, forming a large Aura Sphere around it. He charged in, a war cry flying from his lips as he swung his staff causing the Aura Sphere to fly off the crystal and knock Entei towards the garden, Entei was about to attack Ash when Meowth ran up Ash's back and leapt from his shoulder, landing on Entei's face and launching into a high speed Fury Swipes. Entei howled in anger as a Fire Blast escaped its mouth, the fire type attack encompassed Meowth and blasted him across the room and into the wall creating a crater twice the size of Meowth. Meowth fell to the ground hurt badly, Lucario ran over and used Heal Pulse to try and help his injured teammate. Pikachu had watched Meowth's actions and how Entei had retaliated, Pikachu was shocked, Meowth had jumped to Ash's rescue and paid the price. The savagery of the attack and the obvious pain that it caused sent a chill to the depths of Pikachu's soul and filled him with an all-consuming anger. Even though Meowth had hounded and tormented Pikachu and Ash for years, now he was a member of Ash's team, Pikachu's family, and no-one messes with Pikachu's family, a metallic taste and the smell of O-Zone filled the air as Pikachu unleashed all his power in the form of an enormous Thunder attack, charring the ground surrounding both himself and Entei, the Legend was force to its knees under the pressure of the attack. Once it was over Entei slowly got back to its feet, electricity still sparking in its coat, Pikachu collapsed in exhaustion panting heavily, Entei made its way to the electric mouse creating another Fire Blast. Ash saw his Pokémon, his friends in trouble, Meowth was severely wounded, Lucario was using Heal Pulse over and over to try and heal Meowth, Pikachu, his first Pokémon, the one who had been with him every step of the way since he first started his journey to become a Pokémon Master, the one was so close to him that they viewed each other as brothers, was lying on the floor completely wiped out and about to be attacked again. Something inside Ash snapped, he had had enough, he dropped his staff and charged Entei screaming at the top of his lungs, Entei stopped its attack and looked back surprise at what it was seeing, a human had never openly attacked it before. Ash took advantage of Entei's hesitation and jumped on to the Legendry's back, grasping its mane and clinging on for dear life as he pulled with all his Aura infused strength trying to turn the Volcano Pokémon to the garden and away from Pikachu. Entei started bucking and jerking trying to shake Ash loose, completely forgetting about Pikachu, Ash held tight and gripped with his knees as he tried to stay on Entei's back. He saw a flash of light out of the corner of his eye but ignored it focussing on staying where he was, but it was no good Entei was too strong and Ash was thrown from his position and landed on the ground hard, his breath knocked out of him, he expected Entei to attack but nothing came as a blur of green crossed Ash's vision followed by another blur of red and cream. Slowly getting up Ash saw Sceptile and Blaziken fighting Entei while Gardevoir picked up Pikachu and teleported to where Lucario was kneeling by Meowth before joining the Aura Pokémon in healing their teammates. Ash felt a hand on his shoulder, turning he saw May stood behind him carrying Pokéballs with one arm.

"I ran back to the room to get our Pokémon. Looks like I got back just in time." She said.

"May, I owe you one." Ash replied thankfully.

"Look out!" May cried jumping on Ash, dropping the Pokéballs knocking them both to the floor as a Flamethrower missed them by inches.

"Guess now I owe you two." Ash said, he grabbed his Pokéballs and found the one holding his last Pokémon, "I choose you Gengar!" he shouted throwing his Pokéball. The ball opened and in a flash of light the Shadow Pokémon appeared. May released Flaffy telling him to try and recharge Pikachu, she also released Spoink telling her to use Psychic to protect the injured Pokémon.

"Gengar, use Shadow Ball." Gengar formed a ball of black crackling energy between his hands before throwing it into Entei's side. Entei was hit by the attack and turned its attention to the Ghost type, charging another attack Entei took aim at Gengar and was about to launch another Fire Blast only to be stopped by a Sky Uppercut from Blaziken which slammed Entei's jaws closed causing the attack to be swallowed. A fiery red Aura surrounded Entei as it let out a roar that shook the palace walls and made Ash's blood run cold while May shrank back in fear, all the Pokémon backed away from the legendary Pokémon.

"This is bad," Ash said, "because Entei swallowed that attack it'll be stronger than ever. I came up with the same technique when I was in Sinnoh, Dawn uses it for her Contests as well. We need to get Entei outside NOW."

"Glaceon, use Ice Beam on the floor between Entei and the doors to the garden." May said to her Ice type. Glaceon nodded and ran around Entei, making sure not to be noticed, to do as May asked. "Blaziken, use Sunny Day." Blaziken nodded and threw an orb of energy into the air.

"May, what are you doing?" Ash asked, "Entei will be even stronger now."

"Ash, do you trust me?" May replied

"Of course I do." He said instantly.

"Then trust me now and have Sceptile ready."

"What for?"

"You'll know in a minute." Was all May said before reaching for another Pokéball, "Munchlax, Take the stage." May's Munchlax appeared in a burst of white light, "Munchlax start taking in energy." Ash's mind then started to understand what May was up to.

"Gengar, use Ice Punch to help Glaceon freeze the floor to the garden." Ash shouted to his Ghost Pokémon above the noise to the battle. Gengar gave Ash a grin and a salute before floating over to Glaceon and starting to punch the ground with a fist covered with icy energy. "Sceptile come here quick! Start taking in energy." Ash called to his Grass type. Sceptile looked at Blaziken.

"Scep Scep Tile Sceptile?" he asked.

"Blaze Blaziken." She replied. Sceptile nodded and ran back to Ash as Blaziken faced the Legendary dog alone. Sceptile stopped in front of Ash and started to absorb energy, the buds on his back started to glow.

"Blaziken put everything you've got into a Blaze Kick." May said to her first Pokémon. Blaziken's foot erupted in giant flames as she spun a delivered a powerful kick to Entei's face knocking it on to the icy floor. Ash knew that they needed to act fast because the heat coming from Entei was starting to melt the ice.

"Gengar, get Glaceon out of there." Ash called out, Gengar picked up the Ice type and carried her to where Lucario and Gardevoir were healing the injured Pokémon.

"Now Munchlax," May started.

"Sceptile," Ash added.

"Solarbeam!" They shouted together as their Pokémon fired twin beams of pale yellow light at the Legendary Pokémon. The two powerful Grass type attacks collided with Entei and thanks to the icy floor, Entei slid out of the banquet hall and into the gardens from the force of the attacks.

"May, look after the Pokémon, I'm going after Entei." Ash said as he picked up his staff and ran out of the doors, "Lucario, Gardevoir don't let May follow me. All of you keep her safe." He called over his shoulder. May started to follow Ash but Lucario ran in front of her shaking his head before leading her over to where the Pokémon were lying on the ground. Blaziken, Sceptile, Gengar, Glaceon, Spoink and Munchlax were stood nearby in case Entei came back and to make sure that May was safe. They knew that Ash would never forgive himself if anything happened to May because she was following him, he was still beating himself up over what happened with Team Rocket. He kept it hidden from May but he hadn't slept much since coming to Rota spending most of the night either training or just staring at the sky thinking about how he should have been able to keep her safe. Pikachu had tried to snap Ash out of it but nothing worked, even Meowth had tried to help by saying that it was his fault and he should have turned Team Rocket in when he heard them come up with the plan to kidnap May but Ash just told Meowth that he redeemed himself by helping rescue May and telling Officer Jenny everything he knew about Team Rocket. Riley and the Queen had noticed the difference in Ash but he asked them not to tell May as she would only worry and she needed to focus on the Contest. Ash's Pokémon had told May's about Ash's insomnia and asked them to help keep it from May as it would upset her and that would make Ash feel worse, all the Pokémon agreed to help out in any way they could, they even tried to use some of their attacks to try and help Ash sleep but while that did work it was only for a short time before he would wake up again, the longest he'd slept at night over the last week was an hour.

May released Wartortle from her Pokéball and asked her to try and soothe the burns with a weak Water Gun, Wartortle nodded and got to work. While May helped Gardevoir and Lucario where she was able to, though she couldn't focus properly as her mind kept thinking about Ash. Since coming to Rota, May had noticed a change in him, he seemed to be less 'Ash' than usual and that the Pokémon were trying to keep her from noticing, she was worried about him and try to talk to him about it but he kept distracting her by telling her to focus on the Contest and teaching her Pokémon new combinations. May had decided that when the Contest was over she would corner him and not back down until he told her what the problem was but she didn't get the chance and now with Ash off fighting Entei alone she was even more worried, she tried to get some of the Pokémon to go and help him but they wouldn't budge and wouldn't let her past to go after him. Her mind repeated Ash's last words before he left the hall '_Keep her safe._' She wondered why he had said, he knew that she was capable of looking after herself, though she couldn't deny the pleasing warmth that flooded through her when she heard him say it. May was even more sure of her feelings now but after what had happened tonight she wasn't sure if she would be able to tell him how she felt, she felt worry grip her spirit once more as she thought about how Ash was going to stop a Legendary Pokémon without any help. _Please be okay Ash, _she prayed, _I don't want you to be hurt again. I don't think I could stand seeing you like that again._ The image of Ash lying in the Pokémon Centre bed with his shoulders wrapped in bandages, his face pale and drenched with sweat and various drips and sensors connected to him flashed into her mind, she felt tears fill her sapphire eyes and she started to cry, tears trailing down her cheeks. May felt a hand on her shoulder turning to see who it was, she saw Blaziken stood next to her.

"Blaziken Blaze Blaziken Blaze Iken Blaze." She said to her trainer. May tried to dried her eyes and smiled at the fire type.

"You're right Blaziken. It's Ash, he'll be alright." May replied though she still sounded unsure. Blaziken looked at Sceptile with a pleading look.

"Blaziken Blaze?" she asked, Sceptile nodded to her and put his hand on May's other shoulder.

"Sceptile." He said, May looked at him confused and felt Blaziken let go of her shoulder. May turned back to her Pokémon, only to see her running out of the doors in pursuit of Ash.

* * *

Ash was running through the gardens trying to find Entei but not having any luck. He stopped to catch his breath placing his hands on his knees bending over, it was then he felt the same Aura he had felt before that came from Entei. He focussed on locating the Aura and trying to remember where he had felt it before, he sat on the ground and placed his staff alongside him. He tried to meditate but his pounding heartbeat wouldn't let him calm down enough to pinpoint where the Aura was coming from he could only workout a general direction. Ash heard footsteps coming behind him, he stood up quickly grabbing his staff and holding it defensively ready to block any incoming attack. He saw Blaziken coming towards him and relaxed a little and waited for the Fire type to get closer.

"What are you doing here Blaziken? Is May alright?" he asked worry creeping into his voice.

"Blaziken Blaze Blaziken." She replied, shaking her head, "Blaze Blaziken Blaze, Blaziken Blaze Blaze." She continued.

"May's okay but she was worried about me and you came to help so she wouldn't worry as much?" Ash asked.

"Blaze." She answered nodding, Ash smiled slightly, _May okay, now to find Entei_ he thought.

"Okay then, I'm glad of the help. Entei is over this way." Ash said turning and running into the trees with Blaziken close behind. They ran through the trees until they found a clearing, they walked into the middle of the clearing and found…..nothing. The clearing was empty apart from a few broken branches and some footprints that looked like they belonged to Entei.

"That's weird," Ash said, "The Aura is definitely coming from here but where's Entei?" No sooner had Ash finished his sentence when he heard a piercing shriek. Looking to the sky Ash saw another Pokémon diving towards him, Ho-Oh.

Ash and Blaziken dived in different directions to avoid Ho-Oh's talons, Ash rolled and came to a stop crouching and threw an Aura Sphere at the Legendary bird while Blaziken launched a Flamethrower both attacks missed and Ho-Oh circled back around for another attack. Ash could still feel the Aura from Entei but now it was coming from Ho-Oh, he tried to remember where he had felt this Aura before, he was sure that it held to answer to why Legendary Pokémon were attacking. Ho-Oh flew down at high speed launching Flamethrowers at Blaziken before retreating and circling back for another attack run, Ash was throwing Aura Spheres but Ho-Oh evaded each one. Ash then came up with one of his usual insane plans, he ran to Blaziken.

"Next time Ho-Oh gets close jump into the air, and get above it but take me with you. I've got a plan." He said, Blaziken nodded and together they waited for Ho-Oh to come back around.

* * *

May was still helping Lucario and Gardevoir heal the Pokémon when Sian came back into the hall carrying an armful of medical supplies and berries, she was followed by Riley and Queen Ilene. There was a bandage visible under Riley's hat and his arm was in a sling, the Queen looked a little scared but unharmed.

"Here, use these." Sian said dropping the medicine on the floor by May before crouching next to her and starting to help heal the Pokémon, wrapping a bandage around Meowth's arm after gently cleaning one of his burns.

"Thank you for bringing these Sian, we really need them. Lucario and Gardevoir are really tried from using Heal Pulse over and over again." May said picking up two Oran berries and handing them to Lucario and Gardevoir, the two Pokémon took them and quickly ate them before returning to their work. Pikachu was feeling better thanks to Flaffy helping him to recharge but he was still tired, Gengar had a few small burns but was tired as well, Meowth had taken the most damage and was still unconscious, Sceptile had taken a lot of damage, he was standing by May but because of his injuries he was struggling to stay upright, though he wouldn't let that stop him, Ash and Blaziken had asked to look after May and he would do that until they came back no matter what. Glaceon was feeling tired as she had been using Ice Beam to provide water to put on injuries and for the Pokémon to drink, Flaffy was feeling tired from helping Pikachu recharge, Wartortle was doing okay but was worried about the conditions of the other Pokémon and Spoink was exhausted from stopping various attacks and debris from hitting the injured Pokémon. All the Pokémon were eating the berries to regain some of their strength.

"May, where's Ash?" Riley asked. May looked at the floor as all the Pokémon went quiet.

"After we managed to get Entei out of the hall, Ash went after it." May replied softly not looking at the Aura Guardian. The Queen gasped in shock and her hands covered her mouth, Riley just stared out to the gardens.

"We must send help." The Queen said but Riley held up a hand.

"I understand what you're thinking but right now Ash is the only one who stands a chance against Entei. If we send anyone to help they'll either be in Ash's way or they'll be badly hurt. I'd go but I'm not at full strength and I'd be more of a hindrance than a help." He said solemnly closing his eyes, "Until his Pokémon are better, Ash is on his own."

"My Blaziken went after him a few minutes ago," May said, "she'll help him but I'm still worried about him, it's been just nearly two weeks since he was hurt saving me and even though you healed him Riley, I don't think he's fully recovered from it. He hasn't been himself since we got here." Riley and the Queen looked at each other and nodded, even though they had promised Ash they wouldn't say anything to May, she had noticed a change in him and deserved to know the truth. Riley and the Queen took May to one side to tell her about Ash's lack of sleep, knowing that he wouldn't want anyone else to know about it. Sian stayed where she was and continued to help heal the Pokémon.

"May," said the Queen, "Since Ash came to Rota, he hasn't been sleeping well. He blames himself for letting Team Rocket kidnap you and that weighs heavily on his mind," May was about to say something but the Queen cut her off, "there is more you need to know, during the feast to celebrate Ash's graduation Riley took Ash to the Royal Vault…" Riley interrupted.

"My Queen you mustn't…" he started. The Queen turned on him.

"Aura Guardian Gen, I am the ruler of Rota and I deem Miss Maple to be an honourable and trustworthy person. My Guardian has the utmost faith in her and knows that she would in no way deceive or harm the people or Kingdom of Rota. I believe in him and those he supports therefore Miss Maple can be trusted to keep what I am about to tell her a secret." The Queen said in a serious and commanding tone, "Do you not trust your fellow Aura Guardian and former student?" she questioned.

"Of course I trust Ash my Queen…and though I too trust May, I believe that the secrets of Aura and Rota must stay as such." Riley replied, "However as you have said you are the ruler of Rota and the decision is yours to make. I will support your decision whatever it may be and beg your forgiveness if I have spoken out of turn but I needed to voice my opinions of your decision, it is my duty as a member of your court." He finished with a sigh, bowing slightly. The Queen nodded in understanding.

During this May had been silent watching them talk and wondering what they were going to tell her. Ash's Lucario had been watching all of this take place but didn't say anything as he knew that Ash was going to tell May about what happened in the Royal Vault after they left Rota.

"May," the Queen started turning to look at the brunette again, "In the Royal Vault there is a room and in that room all of Sir Aaron's belongings were kept along with a Time Flower. This Time Flower was different to any you encountered before as it would only open to a certain person's Aura, that person was Sir Aaron. The Time Flower held Sir Aaron's last words and a message to the ruler of Rota, we know this because Ash opened it and told myself and Riley. Ash is the only person who knows the full details of what Sir Aaron's last words were. As for the message to me, it was Sir Aaron asking the current monarch of Rota to support his decision to pass his title as the True Guardian of Aura and possessions to whoever opened the Time Flower."

"You mean that Ash…" May said quietly.

"Yes, Ash now holds Sir Aaron's title and has taken possession of his belongings. That is way all of those things came to Ash's room the day after the feast. I know he told you that it was part of becoming and Aura Guardian but he did not tell you a lie he only told you part of the truth, do not hold any anger towards him though he said that he had sworn to keep all he was told a secret. This has kept him from sleeping also, both I and Guardian Riley are worried about him just like you are. We will try and relieve him of this burden he bares but as you know he has a way of being incredibly stubborn." They all looked out to the gardens wondering where Ash was and if he was okay. The Queen turned to look at May. "You must not feel any anger towards him for lying to you. He didn't want you to worry about his lack of sleep and the full events relating to the Time Flower are only known to Ash. Guardian Riley and I only know what Ash revealed to us as he said the message was only meant for the Guardian who opened the Time Flower." She said, May nodded.

"I understand why he did it." May said without looking at the Queen, her eyes never leaving the gardens. May felt something climb on to her shoulder and when she looked she saw Pikachu with a worried look on his face.

"Don't worry Pikachu, I'm sure Ash won't do anything too dangerous." She said to the electric type scratching him under the chin as she turned her gaze back to the gardens.

* * *

"Look out!" Ash shouted as a Hyper Beam missed Blaziken by centimetres. Ash and Blaziken threw attacks back but both missed as Ho-Oh circled back around for another attack.

"Blaziken, I think this is it." Ash said as he got close to the fire type.

Ho-Oh soared towards Ash and Blaziken, a white energy flowing over its body. Ash recognised the energy as Sky Attack, both he and Blaziken had been dodging Flamethrowers, Fire Blasts and Hyper Beams but now Ho-Oh was coming close it was time to act.

"Blaziken, are you ready for this?" he asked the Fire type.

"Blaze!" she replied, picking Ash up and readying her legs for a jump. Ho-Oh came closer and closer until just before Sky Attack was going to hit Blaziken launched herself and Ash into the air. Ash hadn't told Blaziken his entire plan, he wriggled out of the Fire type's grip and landed on Ho-Oh's back much to Blaziken's horror.

"Blaziken, go back to May. I'll be fine." He shouted as Blaziken looked on in shock at what Ash had just done. Feeling Ash land on its back Ho-Oh cried out in anger and took off high into the sky before performing numerous aerial manoeuvres trying to dislodge the young Aura Guardian but Ash held on tight wrapping one arm around Ho-Oh's neck and holding his staff with the other. The aerial manoeuvres had brought Ho-Oh closer to the palace but all Ash could see were the feathers in front of his face. Ho-Oh looped into the air and then plummeted to the ground at tremendous speeds before pulling up and soaring back into the sky at the last second, the force of the wind from this action ripped Ash's staff from his hand and his hat was blown off his head. He now wrapped both of his arms around Ho-Oh's neck and tried to calm the Legendary bird using his Aura, it was then he realised where he had felt the Aura that came from both Legends before forcing his body and mind to be at peace he focussed on the feelings that he felt when with his friends and Pokémon, the relaxed feeling that meant he could just be himself and not who someone wanted him to be. In his mind Ash was no longer an Aura Guardian, member of Queen Ilene's court or the Chosen One of the Shamouti Prophecy, he was Ash Ketchum, son of Delia Ketchum and Pokémon Trainer, he was a normal person with friends who made him happy and Pokémon that were a second family to him. He channelled these feelings through his Aura into Ho-Oh and the Legendary bird started to slow its movements and calm down, its eyes started to close and then together they fell.

* * *

Pikachu was still sitting on May's shoulder and together they looked out into the gardens hoping that Ash was alright. When Pikachu had recovered some of his strength he was about to run after Ash when Sceptile told him that Ash asked them to keep May safe and he would be fine. Though he wasn't happy letting his best friend run after a Legendary Pokémon alone and wanted to go after him, Pikachu knew that Ash would want him to stay with May so that's what the electric mouse would do. It was then that they saw Ho-Oh diving towards the ground then pull up again, they noticed something on Ho-Oh's back and they realised who it was.

"Ash!/Pikapi!" They yelled, Riley and the Queen ran to where May and Pikachu were standing and saw Ho-Oh flying through the air trying to dislodge its unwanted passenger. Ho-Oh started to slow down, then the Legendary bird stopped flapping it wings and fell towards the ground.

"NO, ASH!" May cried tear starting to fall down her cheeks once more, she ran towards Ash, Riley tried to stop her but was cut off by the Pokémon who followed May without hesitation.

* * *

Ash looked at Ho-Oh and saw a white light being emitted from the Legendary bird, slowly the bird began to shrink. Red and gold feather turned to pink fur, tail feathers merged together and lengthened to a long thin pink tail and the beak shrank back to a small nose. Now falling next to Ash was a sleeping Mew, reaching over he managed to catch the Legendary cat and held her close keeping her safe. Holding Mew in one hand Ash started to focus his Aura in his outstretched arm channelling it then into his palm, remembering his battle against Harrison in Johto, Ash kept firing Aura Spheres at the ground to try and slow his descent, which he was doing but not enough. The tree tops came closer and Ash closed his eyes _I'm sorry May it looks like our travels end here. Goodbye. _He thought as he waited to hit the ground hoping that Mew would be okay, he said silent goodbyes to all his friends, Pokémon and his mother but May was still the first person that came to his mind, he started to wonder why as he drew closer and closer to the ground. Suddenly he felt a pair of arms grab him and take him sideways, slowly opening his eyes he was the red and cream chest of a familiar Pokémon.

"Blaziken, you saved us." Ash said gratefully, "Thank you."

"Blaziken Blaze Blaziken Iken Blaze." The Fire type said so quietly that Ash didn't hear. (Translation – "May would never forgive me if I let you fall.")

When Blaziken landed on the ground she let go of Ash and as he was about to thank Blaziken again he felt two familiar Auras approaching fast, knowing he wouldn't be able to escape he put Mew in Blaziken's arms and was tackled to the ground by two blurs one blue, the other yellow. Ash lay on the ground with May and Pikachu holding onto him as if their lives depended on it with all of their Pokémon surrounding them, Meowth was being carried by Sceptile as he was still hurt and had some trouble walking. Glaceon walked up to Ash and licked his cheek, Ash wondered why she did that but just put it down to her being a girl. The Queen and Riley appeared a minute later, Riley chuckled at the scene before realising that Ho-Oh wasn't there.

"Ash, where's Ho-Oh?" he asked. Ash tried to sit up but May and Pikachu wouldn't let him, he looked pleadingly at Gardevoir who nodded and used Psychic to lift May and Pikachu off of Ash and placed them on the ground near him. Ash stood up shakily and brushed himself off, he saw Lucario step forward holding his staff, Ash thanked Lucario and took the staff leaning on it to stabilize himself, he then turned to Riley.

"There was no Ho-Oh or Entei or Zapdos, it was Mew. I don't know why Mew was attacking but I could tell the Aura coming from Ho-Oh and Entei was familiar but I couldn't figure out why, when I realised that it was Mew I used my Aura to calm her down that's when I felt that her Aura seemed 'off'." Ash said.

"What do you mean 'off'? I don't sense anything different in her Aura." Riley asked.

"I can't explain it but when I channelled my Aura into Mew to calm her I felt…," Ash paused to try and work out what it was he felt, "I felt worry, sickness and fear along with something uncomfortable but I don't know what that was." Riley nodded, he could understand what Ash was talking about but didn't know what it could mean. Mew was always a happy carefree Pokémon why would she feel those things.

"Come it is late and this business has been concluded. My Guardian, you and your Pokémon are tired, go rest and we will see you in the morning." The Queen said, Ash was going to protest but he felt his exhaustion set in and nodded.

"Yes my Queen." He said, Ash went over to Blaziken and lifted Mew from her arms and carried her back to the palace. May, Riley, the Queen and the Pokémon followed Ash. Lucario and May walked either side of him, ready to catch him if he fell and Pikachu sat on May shoulder again so Ash didn't have to carry him weight.

When they got back to the palace Nurse Joy was waiting for them and took the Pokémon to the Pokémon Centre though most of them would be okay with a good night's rest, Meowth still needed some medical attention and Mew saw still sleeping peacefully in Ash's arms. Nurse Joy took Mew from Ash and promised to look after her. Getting back to Ash's room May had to force Ash to sleep in the bed while she would sleep on the couch, he tried to argue but May held her ground and he relented. May waited to see if he would be able to sleep or not, because of the amount of energy Ash had used calming and fighting Mew he fell asleep in seconds. May sat by Ash's side putting bandages on the various cuts and bruises that he had obtained, she also thought about what had happened in the garden and how close she had come to confessing her feelings to Ash. She looked at his face, at how peaceful he features were, she smiled sadly knowing that the perfect moment to tell him had passed and now she had lost her nerve _I can't tell him now, he worries about me enough as it is and if he feels about me the way I feel about him, that will make him worry even more. I can't do that to him there's too much on his shoulder's as it is. I can't tell him now I just can't._ May thought as she felt tears start to fill her eyes, she felt something rub against her leg looking down she saw Glaceon staring at her, Glaceon hadn't battled Entei and was only a little tired so she had stayed with May while the other Pokémon had gone to the Pokémon Centre, Glaceon jumped onto May's lap and curled up in a ball. May smiled at her Pokémon before looking at the clock seeing it was five o'clock in the morning, it had been midnight when they got back to the room, knowing she needed to get some sleep she leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes as she yawned and drifted off to sleep saying.

"Good night Ash, see you in the morning."

* * *

May woke up and stretched her arms, she rubbed some sleep from her eyes and looked at Ash but he wasn't there, she panicked slightly before calming down she looked at the clock and saw that it was ten in the morning. Glaceon woke up when May scratched her behind the ear and jumped from May's lap onto the floor. May walked out of the bedroom looking for Ash and heard music coming from the small kitchen, going over she saw Ash making pancakes while miming along with the song playing on the radio. Pikachu was sitting on the counter happily eating from a bottle of ketchup, Ash reached over and took the bottle from the mouse.

"Pikapi Pikachu?" he asked.

"You know why. You got us kicked out of a Pokémon Centre in Sinnoh because of your obsession with this stuff." Ash replied shaking the bottle slightly, "You stole all of the ketchup they had and hid it."

"Pikapika Chu Pikachu Pi."

"I know I give you some but that's only as a treat and I know you love it but you need to deal with your addiction. Please Pikachu, you have a problem let me help you with it."

"Pika." Pikachu agreed quietly. Ash smiled and scratched Pikachu's ear making the mouse coo in delight. May giggled and drew Ash's attention.

"Morning May. Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"Morning Ash. I did, how about you?" she replied.

"I slept great, I really needed it after what happened last night." May smiled a little then remembered what the Queen had said about Ash.

"Ash," May said, "The Queen told me about how you haven't been sleeping properly since we got here. Please tell me what's wrong, please let me help you." She finished as she put her hand on Ash's arm.

"May, I'm sorry." Ash said softly, "I'm sorry that I wasn't strong enough to stop Team Rocket from kidnapping you. I failed you and my Pokémon maybe if I was a better person, a better trainer I would have…" May put her finger on Ash's lips interrupting him, Ash looked at her confused and May gave him a small smile.

"Ash you've got nothing to be sorry about. It wasn't your fault, you proved your strong enough by rescuing me and sending Team Rocket away. You are the best person I know, you've proved that time and again by helping anyone who needs it and you are the strongest trainer I've ever met, you have amazing Pokémon who love you, the relationships you have with them is more than being trainer and Pokémon, its more than friendship you're more like a family. You could ask anyone who knows you Brock, Misty, Max, Dawn, Iris, Cilan or any of the people you've met over the years and they would say the same. You have nothing to be sorry about and you didn't fail me, you saved me. Ash Ketchum you taught me about Pokémon, you help me in Contests even though you knew nothing about them, you've saved me more times than I can mention, you helped me save Manaphy and helped me come to terms with saying goodbye to him, together we have had hundreds of adventures and had fun during each one and now that we're travelling together again you've rescued me from Team Rocket and Brock told me that one of the first things you did when you woke up was ask if I was alright. So do not say you've failed me, you can never do that do you want to know why?" May asked, though she had started talking normally her voice had gotten louder and louder, Ash nodded his head meekly, May calmed herself down to stop shouting at Ash, she carried on in a quieter tone. "You can't fail me Ash because after everything you've done for me since we met I've realised something, you're my hero and nothing will ever change that."

Ash stood in front of May shocked at the amount of emotion she had put into what she had said. After a minute he smiled and gave May a hug.

"Thank you May. I needed that, but do you really think I'm a hero?" he asked releasing May from the hug. May blushed and looked at the floor.

"Of course I do Ash otherwise I wouldn't have said it." May was about to continue when her stomach growled, "Heh heh sorry about that."

Ash laughed and turned back to the kitchen counter picking up two plates stacked high with pancakes and a bottle of syrup, handing one to May as they walked into the main room, put their plates on the coffee table and sat on the couch to eat. Pikachu and Glaceon followed them and sat on the couch next to their trainers.

"Don't worry, I didn't forget about you two." Ash said standing up and going back to the kitchen, before returning with two bowls of Pokémon food. Ash placed them on the table and sat on the couch again to eat his breakfast.

"Ash, how long have you been up?" May asked.

"About an hour, I was going to wake you but you looked so peaceful I couldn't bring myself to do it. Why were you sleeping in the chair anyway, you said you were going to sleep on the couch?" Ash replied.

"You were covered in scratches and dirt so I cleaned your face and arms then bandaged your injuries, when I was finished I just fell asleep. You weren't hurt too badly mostly you were just exhausted I guess fighting a Legendary Pokémon does that to a person though. Thinking about it, from the stories you've told me you should be used to it by now." May said laughing at the end, Ash laughed as well.

"You're probably right, I do that a lot don't I." Ash said, May nodded and carried on eating her pancakes.

"Hey Ash, how did Pikachu get here, didn't Nurse Joy take him to the Pokémon Centre last night with the other Pokémon?" May asked a minute later.

"Nurse Joy came by about half an hour ago and gave me our Pokéballs, she said that they needed to rest today and that Meowth would be need to take it easy for the next day or two because of his injuries. I told Meowth what Nurse Joy had said and he said that he'd stay in his Pokéball for today to get some rest. I said that I could send him to Professor Oak's Lab and he could rest there but Meowth said he wants to stay here for now. Your Pokéballs are next to your bag." Ash answered pointing to May's bag and the five Pokéballs next to it. "I thanked Meowth for what he did during the fight against Entei and that when he felt better I would start training with him so that he can become stronger. Meowth saved me from one of Entei's attacks, if that attack had hit me then this whole thing might have finished differently. Nurse Joy said that Mew was still asleep and would be returned to the Tree of Beginning when she woke up."

May nodded and they finished their breakfast in silence, after cleaning their dishes they got changed. Someone knocked on the door and when May opened it a maid told her that the Queen wanted to see them in an hour, May thanked the maid and told Ash. An hour later they made their way to the Throne Room. May was wearing her usual travelling clothes and Ash was wearing jeans, his blue jacket, a plain black t-shirt and his baseball cap, as his Aura Guardian uniform had been damaged during the events of the previous night and his hat was missing. When they got to the Throne Room Ash knelt in front of the Queen while May, Pikachu and Glaceon bowed.

"My Guardian rise," the Queen said, "I wish to thank you for your actions last night, you have done your duty to protect Rota and myself. Whatever you wish to have as a reward shall be yours you have only to ask." Ash looked at the Queen in shock.

"My Queen, as you said I did my duty for that I do not need a reward." He replied. "I do have a favour to ask."

"What is that My Guardian?"

"I wish to resume my journey to take on the Indigo League and May wants to continue her journey to the Grand Festival. Will you allow me to leave Rota to do this?" Ash asked. The Queen smiled at both Ash and May.

"Of course you can leave My Guardian. When you are ready to leave please inform me and I shall have the helicopter take you to wherever you wish to go." She said, Ash looked at May and she nodded.

"On the way here we talked about it and we would like to leave this afternoon if that is possible." Ash said, the Queen looked surprised for a second then she smiled and nodded.

"Very well My Guardian. I shall inform the pilot to prepare the helicopter for departure be sure to see me before you leave as I have something to present you with." Ash nodded bowed and turned to leave, May and the Pokémon bowed as well and followed Ash. Ash stopped and turned back to the Queen.

"My Queen, where is Riley?" he asked.

"Guardian Riley is resting his encounter with Entei took a heavier toll then he previously thought. He is well but will need a few days of rest before he can return to his duties."

"One of his duties is to protect you. My Queen you can't be left without a Guardian, I will stay with you until Riley is better and then I will catch up with May." Ash said.

"Ash if you're staying here then so am I." May said. The Queen stood from her throne.

"Neither of you will be staying. My Guardian, I understand your concern but it is unnecessary, I shall be fine until Guardian Riley is better as he has ordered a squad of soldiers to guard me until he is ready to return to his duty. Both of you are going to continue on your journey and I expect both of you to win. Am I understood?" The Queen said, Ash and May shared a small smile. The Queen looked at Ash, "I want you to do Rota proud and next time you return to Rota you will bring the Indigo League trophy with you." The Queen turned to May, "And you shall return with him carrying the Kanto Grand Festival Ribbon Cup. Am I understood?"

"Yes My Queen." Ash said bowing.

"Yes Your Majesty." May added also bowing.

"Pikachu/Glaceon." Answered their Pokémon.

"Very well, the two of you must go and pack if you are leaving this afternoon." The Queen said, Ash and May nodded, they bowed again and walked back to Ash's room to pack. On the way they saw Sian and told her that they were leaving. Sian said that she was leaving at the same time as them, Ash excused himself and ran back to the Throne Room saying that he needed to ask the Queen something. May and Sian stayed where they were talking about the Contests they had competed in, Sian then mentioned how romantic it was watching Ash and May singing together while they danced. May blushed and agreed that it was romantic but the Legendary attack ruined the moment.

"Hey Sian," Ash said running back to the girls, "How are you getting to your next Contest?"

"I'm getting the bus to Pewter City, with the other Co-Ordinators and then I'm walking to Viridian City, they have a Contest in about a week so I should get there in time for it. Why?" she replied. Ash smiled at her.

"You don't need to get the bus now, I just asked the Queen if you can catch a ride with us on the helicopter and she said yes. Me and May are going to Cerulean City but we can ask the pilot to take you to Viridian then take us to Cerulean." May stared at Ash and was about to tell him that was a great idea when Sian jumped on him giving him a big hug.

"ThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyou!" she said, "Now I don't have to share a bus with Ursula and Harley. I can't stand them." Sian let go of Ash and smiled, she turned to May and saw the slightly angry look on her face, "Sorry about that, I got a little over excited."

Sian went to pack her things leaving Ash and May alone. May gave Ash a quick peck on the cheek.

"What was that for May?" he asked.

"That was a really nice thing you did Ash," May said, "not that I'm mad about it but why did you do it?"

"Sian helped heal our Pokémon and she's a good friend. I though a good way to thank her would be to help her get to her next Contest." Ash answered, "That reminds me. I still owe you two don't I."

"Don't worry about it Ash, I'm just repaying all the help you've given me since we met." May said, "Now come on we need to go and get ready to leave."

* * *

A couple of hours later Ash and May were ready to go but before meeting up with Sian, they went to the Throne Room as the Queen had asked. The Queen was still sitting on her throne but now Riley was stood next to her and there were two servants as well.

"My Guardian, it saddens me to see you go. In thanks for your actions last night I give you these." One of the servants stepped forward and gave Ash a new Aura Guardian uniform. "This is to replace the one that was damaged and I request that you keep it with you in case you ever have need of it. I also present you with this medal for actions above your duty and for showing great valour, it is known as the heart of Rota." The Queen stood from her throne, put the medal around Ash's neck and returned to her throne, Riley stepped forward next.

"Ash, I want to thank you for getting me to safety after I was knocked out by Entei and I want to give you these." Riley handed Ash a royal blue box, opening the box Ash saw a pair of Aura Gloves. "In the past when a person had two pairs of gloves one during he used while he was training and on becoming an Aura Guardian he was given a new pair, now we only use the one pair, as the size of Aura Crystals needed for gloves are scarce and larger ones can't be crafted to the right size as it effects the way they work. These gloves are the same ones that Sir Aaron used for his training, when he graduated he was awarded a new pair. These are amongst the most precious artefacts known to Aura Guardians, use them wisely as they hold great power." Ash nodded and thanked both Riley and the Queen. The Queen then turned to May.

"Miss Maple do not think that your actions last night went unnoticed. I do not have a medal to present you with, though I do have a few gifts that you could use for your contests." The second servant stepped forward and handed May a neatly folded pile of clothes along with a five small boxes. "Opening these boxes you will find the dresses you wore to the feast and the banquet along with three others plus the shoes and accessories that go with them. They should come in useful for any Contest you enter." The Queen said, May peeked in to the boxes and saw that the three new dresses were different colours to the two she had worn, one was black, one was yellow and the other was royal blue.

"Your Majesty I can't accept these it's too much." May said but the Queen raised her hand to stop any further protests.

"Miss Maple, your actions last night saved people from getting hurt, you saved My Guardian twice once by sending Pokémon to battle Entei and once by tackling him to the floor to avoid a Flamethrower and you healed the injured Pokémon that fought with you, you have done much for Rota and its people so these gifts are a token of our appreciation which we gladly give to you. I also have a request to ask of you, will you look after My Guardian?" The Queen said. May looked at the Queen for a minute before bowing and saying.

"Your majesty thank you for these gifts, please forgive my earlier comment, it's just that I did what I needed to do and don't feel the need to be rewarded for doing that. As for your request, yes I will look after Ash," She turned and winked at him, "after all he'd be lost without me." May finished smiling, the Queen laughed and smiled back.

"Very well, I bid you both farewell and wish you both the greatest of luck on your journeys." she said. Riley stepped forward and held out his hand.

"Goodbye Ash, May Aura Be With You." He said, Ash nodded and took Riley's hand.

"Goodbye Riley, May Aura Be With You too." He replied, Ash turned to the Queen and bowed, "My Queen, may the Aura shine on you and keep you safe." The Queen bowed her head slightly.

"Farewell My Guardian, look after Miss Maple and next time you return bring with you, new tales from your adventures."

"I shall do as you ask My Queen, I will bring stories of my travels."

"And what of Miss Maple? Will you look after her?"

"Always." Ash said instantly, May turned a deep red hearing this and bowed to the Queen.

"Your Majesty, if you would excuse me I need to go and pack these gifts. Thank you again and goodbye." May bowed again and left the Throne Room walking quickly. Ash looked at the Queen in confusion as she giggled slightly. _Was it something I said?_ thought Ash, he shrugged and bowed to the Queen once more before leaving the Throne Room to pack his Aura Guardian uniform and gloves before going to the helicopter. Once Ash and May had packed their gifts and collected their things from Ash's room they made their way outside towards the helipad.

* * *

When they reached the helipad they saw Sian taking to the pilot, as they walked over Sian turned round and saw them.

"I've asked the pilot to take me to Pewter City so I can visit an old friend before going to Viridian City for the Contest." She said.

"Sir Ketchum, where do you want me to take you?" the pilot asked, May giggled at the look on Ash's face when he was called Sir.

"Could you take us to Cerulean City please." Ash replied.

"I'm sorry Sir but with a trip to Pewter City as well, the furthest I would be able to take you would be the Cerulean side of Mount Moon before I hit the point of no return fuel wise."

"That's fine," said May, "We can walk the rest of the way it's not that far." Ash nodded his head in agreement.

"In that case, let's get in the air." The pilot said happily as he climbed into the cockpit. Sian, May and Ash picked up their bags and climbed into the helicopter, Pikachu and Glaceon jumping in behind them. The helicopter rotors started to spin and the helicopter slowly rose into the air. Ash saw the Queen and Riley standing by the palace entrance and waved to them, they waved back and the helicopter flew off in the direction of Pewter City. It took four hours to fly to Pewter City, as they were flying against a strong wind, so Ash, May and Sian spent the time telling stories of their journeys. Ash and May found out that Sian had come close to winning the Grand Festival in Sinnoh last year but her Jigglypuff had been knocked out in the last few seconds of the battle and Sian was amazed when she heard the adventures that Ash and May had been on such as helping Pokémon Rangers, constantly being hounded by Team Rocket and the event that happened just before coming to Rota. When they arrived in Pewter City Ash and May asked Sian to visit Brock and Lucy to say hello for them and tell them that Ash was now a full-fledged Aura Guardian. Sian agreed to do this and gave both Ash and May a hug as she said goodbye promising to see May in the Grand Festival. The pilot then took off again and an hour later they landed in a clearing on the Cerulean City side of Mount Moon. It was close to sun set when they landed, Ash and May thanked the pilot and said goodbye, they then watched the helicopter disappear into the distance and then started making their way to Ash's next Gym battle.

As they left the clearing where the helicopter landed one of Ash's Pokéballs opened, when the light died down Lucario was standing in front of them.

"Lucario, what are you doing out of your Pokéball?" Ash asked. The Aura Pokémon turned to him.

**As you are now an Aura Guardian I must be by your side at all times. **Lucario said, **If you send me to Professor Oak's lab then I will simply leave and return to your side. We are partners in Aura and we must stand together. **Ash looked at his Pokémon and sighed knowing that he wouldn't be able to change Lucario's mind.

"How do you know all this?"

**Master Riley's Lucario taught me all I needed to know about being your Aura partner.**

"Alright then, let's go to Cerulean City. Watch out Misty you've got a Cascade Badge with my name on it." Ash was about to start walking when he felt May grab his arm, he looked at her in confusion.

"Ash, it's getting late and it'll be dark soon shouldn't we set up camp and leave in the morning?" Ash nodded.

"Okay May, I'll set up camp and you get some firewood so I can start making some food."

**Master allow me to get the firewood while Mistress May helps you set up camp. **Lucario said.

May looked at Lucario "You don't have to call me that, just call me May."

**As you wish Mistress May**. Lucario said before he turned and walked into the woods. Ash laughed but quickly stopped when May glared at him.

"Sorry it's just that I've been trying to stop Lucario from calling me Master for three years and he still does, so he won't stop calling you Mistress." Ash said chuckling a little. Lucario turned and walked into the woods to collect the firewood, Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder and curled up under a nearby tree and to take a nap. Glaceon saw this and walked over to Pikachu and curled up next to him nuzzling his cheek with her own, May was this and winked at the ice type who blushed slightly before closing her eyes to take a nap.

"Ash," May said while unrolling her sleeping bag, "Why is Lucario calling me Mistress?" Ash looked up from the fire pit he was digging.

"I don't know, ask him when he gets back." Ash replied as he returned his attention to the fire pit checking if it was deep enough. _Why is Lucario calling May Mistress? He doesn't call anyone else Mistress not the Queen, my mom no-one so why is he saying it to May? Could it be that he's doing it because of me? Because May's my best friend or is it something else? _Ash thought.

May could see Ash was deep in thought and walked over to him, she knelt down next to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. Ash jumped slightly from the unexpected touch and nearly went into a defensive stance but quickly got control of himself.

"What's wrong Ash?" May asked.

"Nothing, just thinking about my Gym battle against Misty." He said quickly trying to sound convincing. May realised that Ash didn't want to talk about it as she felt his muscles tense up, so she decided to change the subject.

"Should we tell Misty about the favour or let her think that we're actually a couple?" May asked. She could feel Ash's muscle relax under her hand, Ash looked at her and smiled.

"We'll tell her about the favour but I do have a trick in mind for Misty first." He said he smile growing bigger and more mischievous. Before May could ask what the trick was Lucario came back with the firewood, he placed some of it in the fire pit and the rest to one side for later use.

"Lucario, can I ask you something?" May said standing up.

**Of course Mistress May.**

"Why are you calling me Mistress?"

**Through my Aura I can sense how close you are to my Master and how close he is to you. That sense tells me that you are an important person in my Master's life because of this that I call you Mistress, as a sign of respect.** Ash and May were silent for a minute before Ash asked a question.

"Why do you call my mom, Lady Delia instead of Mistress?"

**That is a simple answer Master. You are a knight of Rota and you hold the title of Sir Ketchum, Master Riley's Lucario told me that the members of an Aura Guardian's family have unofficial title's your mother holds the title of Lady and if you had any brothers or sister they would hold the titles of Sir and Lady.**

"What about Ash's dad?" May asked without thinking, she then realised what she had said. The campsite suddenly felt colder as Ash slowly stood up looking at the ground, the brim of his hat covering most of his face leaving only his mouth visible. Pikachu and Glaceon woke up feeling the change in the atmosphere. Ash turned and walked slowly into the woods, May walked in front of him to stop him from leaving the campsite completely. "Ash I'm sorry I know you don't like talking about him, I wasn't thinking please forgive me." She pleaded.

Ash stopped and lifted his head and looked May in the eyes, she could see tears forming but Ash wouldn't let them fall. It was always the same, whenever someone mentioned Ash's dad he would leave, come back after a few hours and it would take a few days to get Ash back to his usual self. May remembered the first time it happened and felt a chill run down her spine, she had innocently asked Ash about his dad and the look on Ash's face still appeared in her nightmares occasionally, that look was the first and only time that she had been afraid of Ash. The happy and confident boy with a constant smile changed into a sad and angry boy with a face of stone, Ash had walked off without a word and didn't come back until the next morning. During the time Ash was gone Brock had explained to both her and Max that Ash's father was something you just don't mention, he didn't know what happened all he knew was that you don't talk about Ash's dad at all. May slowly got closer to Ash and wrapped her arms around him hoping that hugging him would help, after a minute Ash responded to the hug and put his arms around May. They stayed there in each other's arms for a few minutes until they both let go.

"May, thank you." Ash said as he wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Ash, I'm really sorry I wasn't thinking." May whispered as she looked at the ground feeling a little ashamed for making Ash feel like that, Ash put his hand under May's chin and raised her head gently.

"It's okay, there's nothing to feel sorry about. Let's get something to eat then get some sleep, it's been a long day." Ash replied still sounding sad, May nodded and they walked back to their campsite. May called out Blaziken to light the fire then released Munchlax, Spoink, Flaffy and Wartortle so they could eat as well, while Ash cooked Pikachu released Gengar, Sceptile, Gardevoir and Meowth. While most of the Pokémon were talking to each other Gardevoir stayed close to Ash trying to comfort him as she could feel the emotions that crashed about inside him, Blaziken and Sceptile sparred a little while Lucario sat close to Meowth and used a Heal Pulse to try and soothe the Scratch Cat Pokémon's injuries. May finished setting up the camp with Pikachu and Glaceon helping her, when Ash had finished cooking a simple stew they all sat down to eat, May gave Munchlax one of her special Pokéblocks so he didn't each all of the food.

"Ash." May said hesitantly, Ash looked up from the fire.

"Yeah May." He replied. May looked at the ground and took a deep breath.

"I know you don't want to talk about it but I'm really sorry about before. You know I can be an airhead sometimes and I didn't mean to say that. I can be stupid sometimes and…" May stopped talking when she felt a hand on her shoulder, looking up she saw Ash sitting next to her.

"It's okay, I know you didn't mean it. Don't talk down about yourself like that, you're not an airhead and you're not stupid. You're my best friend and one of the best people I know, it's just that…" Ash stopped and took a breath, "_he's_ not something I like talking about. I need to apologise to you anyway, I've been meaning to for years but I couldn't bring myself to talk about it."

"What do you mean?" May asked, unsure why Ash needed to apologise for.

"The first time you asked about _him_ and I walked off, Brock told me a couple of days later that I really scared you and Max by doing that. I'm really sorry for that and I'm sorry it took me so long to say it." May looked at her friend and shook her head, _Ash never changes always putting someone else's feelings before his own, _she thought before giving Ash a quick peck on the cheek causing him to blush. "What was that for?" he asked.

"For being you. Ash you've got no reason to say sorry to me for that, when you walked off Brock told us about 'that' and not to bring it up. Don't be mad at Brock though he was only trying to help." May explained, "How about we both except that we're both sorry and leave it there?"

"Deal." Ash said smiling slightly.

"Ash," May started, "You didn't tell me what trick you're going to play on Misty."

"Oh yeah I forgot. What I'm going to do is…." Ash then told May his plan and she agreed to help him as she chuckled softly. (**AN did you really think I'd tell you the trick? If you want to know you'll have to wait for the next chapter. Sorry.)** After telling May his plan they both lay on the ground and watched the stars in silence just enjoying the quiet and each other's company, a little while later Ash spoke.

"It's getting late we should get some sleep." he said, May agreed and they got into their sleeping bags.

Ash and May decided to leave their Pokémon out for the night, Sceptile climbed into a tree, Blaziken sat down leaning against a different tree and Gengar floated on to a nearby branch before resting on it and closing his eyes, though his ever present grin remained on his face. The other Pokémon excluding Pikachu and Glaceon just lay on the ground by the fire, Pikachu curled up next to Ash and Glaceon did the same with May. It was a cold night so they all lay close to the fire and soon fell asleep, knowing that tomorrow promised to be an interesting day.

* * *

**So what do you think? I couldn't resist having a little intervention for Pikachu's ketchup addiction.**

**I've got a few things to say quickly.**

**First is Aura Force, just to giveit a better description. Lucario forms an Aura Sphere in his hand but doesn't throw it he then puts the energy of Force Palm into the Aura Sphere. After that he hits his opponent with the Aura Sphere/Force Palm combo like he would just using Force Palm.**

**Second is just to say that Anime Physics is in effect, to explain how Ash and May canhold all there things in their bags.**

**Lastly is just to say that the part about Ash's dad is just my idea of why he hasn't been mentioned since the second episode (at least O don't think he has."**

**Please Review and tell me what you think.**

**Thanks for Reading.**

**See you next time**

**Basic Trainer**


	9. Chapter 9

**It's that time again here's a new chapter.**

**I know I said I'd try and make the chapter shorter but once I start writing I can't stop till I've put in everything I want to.**

**If any of you think that there's any thing wrong with the characters of the battles/contest are bad/going overboard then let me know so I can try and fix them.**

**If you have any questions then put it in a review or send me a PM.**

**Lastly I would again like to thank everyone who's supporting this story. When I started this story I had no idea it would become this popular.**

**That's enough from me for now let's get on with the story.**

* * *

Chapter 9

A Sensational Surprise

A cool breeze flowed through the clearing as Ash woke up, it was early in the morning, around 6:30. Ash looked across the clearing and saw the Pokémon were still asleep, he then turned his gaze to May seeing her looking peaceful and warm, as a blanket had been placed on top of her sleeping bag during the night. Ash had woken up around 2 o'clock and saw May shivering slightly, so he had taken the blanket from his bag and covered May with it before returning to his own sleeping bag. Ash smiled _She's_ _beautiful, _he thought, _Wait, why am I thinking about May like that? What's happening to me? _Ash shook his head to try and clear his mind before getting out of his sleeping bag carefully, so he didn't wake anyone up and starting to stretch so he wouldn't pull a muscle while he exercised. After a few minutes of warming up Ash started going through his morning routine, he stayed in the clearing so that May wouldn't worry if she woke up and saw he wasn't there. He first started by doing press-ups, once again trying to do them in a handstand but failed after doing two and landing on his head, Ash then did some shadow sparing followed by numerous other types of exercises along with some Aura training and meditation. The Pokémon had started to wake up while Ash was exercising and had joined him for some training. Ash sent them out for a run to warm up and to make sure that they didn't disturb May. The Pokémon soon came back from the run so Ash told them to start with press-ups and other exercises to increase their strength and stamina, they wouldn't do any attack training while May was asleep. After a few hours they stopped and Ash decided to relight the fire, which had died during the night, he reached into his bag to get his emergency matches when he felt something else brush past his fingers. He took hold of this object and pulled it out of his bag, it was his half of the Terracotta Ribbon he held it carefully, his fingers gliding over the polished metal semicircle and he felt the softness of the ribbon even though it as about six years old, he smiled again as the memory of the battle replayed in his mind. He put the ribbon in his pocket and reached back into his bag for the matches, finding them he restarted the fire and began to prepare some breakfast. After about twenty minutes Ash had nearly finished making breakfast and saw that May was still asleep, he walked over and crouched next to her.

"May, it's time to wake up." He said softly while shaking her gently but May just muttered under her breath and turned over. Ash looked back at the Pokémon and saw Blaziken point to her stomach, Ash smiled in understanding and looked back at May, leaning close to her ear and whispered. "May, it's time for breakfast."

No sooner had the word breakfast left his mouth, May's eyes flew open and she shot upright from her laying position, unfortunately Ash wasn't able to move away in time and their heads collided sending Ash falling backwards from the impact.

"OW!" They both shouted, the Pokémon were trying to stop themselves from laughing at the sight of their trainers lying on the ground rubbing their heads.

"Ash, what did you hit me for?" May demanded still rubbing the back of her head, even though he could see that she saw angry Ash still thought she looked beautiful.

"I didn't hit you," Ash replied calmly as he rubbed his forehead, slowly getting off the ground, "I was trying to wake you up to tell you that breakfast was ready but you wouldn't wake up. Blaziken told me the way to wake you up was through your stomach so I said time for breakfast, you sat up before I could move out of the way and we hit each other." May's eyes narrowed as she stood.

"Are you calling me fat?" May asked rage detectable in her voice as she slowly stalked towards the raven haired trainer, her fist balled up and ready to strike.

"What?" Ash said slightly panicked. Ash backed up as May tried to get closer to him, not watching his footing Ash tripped on a rock falling to the ground. Even though he didn't know much about girls, while he'd been home over the last three years his mom had given him a number of highly embarrassing talks about do's and don't's when with girls. One of the biggest things his mom had told him was never to say anything about a girl's weight in any way at all and the only way to avoid certain death was to pay them a giant compliment. Ash's mind latched onto his memory, as his life started to pass before his eyes and he acted on it.

"May, I'm not calling you fat. I think you look amazing!" Ash said, sounding panicked, as he curled into a foetal position and shut his eyes, cringing as he waited for the attack to come and to fall into the cold darkness of oblivion. However it didn't come, on hearing Ash's words May took a step back as if she had been hit in the chest, her heart pounded and a flock of Beautifly fluttered in her stomach. She stood there with her fist raised and a look of shock on her face under a deep crimson blush. Slowly May lower her fist as she stared at Ash, still curled in a ball waiting to be hit, his eyes tightly shut and his arms raised in defence. May took a step closer to Ash and knelt in front of him, _Does, does he really mean that?_ She thought.

"A-Ash," she stuttered quietly, "Do...do you mean that?" Ash slowly opened his eyes to see May in front of him, he could no longer see the burning flames of anger in her eyes, only the clear, shining sapphires that made him feel happy. He lowered his arms and lifted himself off the ground so he and May were on the same level.

"Of course I do May, you're my best friend..." Ash started.

"PIKA!" interrupted a certain electric type.

"Sorry, best human friend. I'd never lie to you." He finished smiling then turned around to look at Pikachu and hide the blush on his face, "Pikachu, we've been over this we're more than best friends, we're more like brothers right?" Pikachu nodded happily before jumping onto Ash's shoulder and rubbing his cheek to Ash's. May watched them smiling at how close Ash was to all of his Pokémon and was a little shocked to hear that Ash and Pikachu thought of each other as brothers but thinking about it she realised that they really were like that. _They are very similar, _she thought, _they're both strong, brave and cute. Now that I think about it they like brothers._ She giggled quietly at that thought but stopped when her stomach rumbled, Ash started laughing.

"Come on, let's have some breakfast then we go to Cerulean." Ash said standing and offering a hand to May to help her up. May took his hand and once standing let go of it quickly before she started to blush. They walked over to the fire pit and while Ash finished the breakfast he had been preparing May fed the Pokémon, as they sat down to eat they heard a rustling in the bushes at the edge of the clearing. Looking over they saw a green rodent-like Pokémon who was painfully thin, as if starved, not recognising it May pointed her Pokédex at the Pokémon

_Sandshrew, The Mouse Pokémon_. _Sandshrew are timid Pokémon and live deep underground in burrows. Their bodies are specially designed not to waste moisture and to protect themselves they curl into a tight ball which is able to withstand powerful attacks._

Ash quickly poured some Pokémon food into a bowl and walked slowly towards Sandshrew but the ground type backed away, knowing that the Pokémon was likely scared of both him and May, Ash turned to Gardevoir.

"Gardevoir, can you give this food to Sandshrew and say that we want to help." Gardevoir nodded and took the bowl from Ash. She placed the bowl on the ground in front of Sandshrew and moved back whilst trying to comfort the ground type and asking it to let Ash and May help. While Gardevoir was talking to Sandshrew May turned to Ash.

"Why this Sandshrew a different colour to the picture in the Pokédex?" she asked.

"It must be a Shiny Pokémon like my Noctowl," Ash said remembering some of the things Professor Oak had taught him while he had been at home, "there's one recognised colour for Shiny Pokémon but there are some that are different like my Gyarados. The normal Shiny colour is red but mine's black and when I started on my journey I saw a pink Butterfree. Looking at him, he seems to be a little smaller than most Sandshrew."

When they turned back to look at Sandshrew they saw that the mouse Pokémon had finished eating the food and Gardevoir was making her way towards them with the bowl. Gardevoir stopped in front of Ash and her eyes glowed blue for a few seconds as she stared at Ash, when her eyes stopped glowing Ash nodded in understanding. He refilled the bowl and gave it to Gardevoir. Ash saw May giving him a questioning look and he decided to explain, as Gardevoir went back to Sandshrew.

"Gardevoir was just telling me what she learned from Sandshrew." He said before earning another questioning look from May so he explained further after getting a nod from Gardevoir, "Gardevoir's like Lucario, she can talk telepathically but she doesn't do it very often, she told me that Sandshrew lived in Mount Moon and was forced out of his group a few weeks ago because he was a different colour and he's been in this area since trying to survive. He hasn't eaten in a few days and has taken a beating from a few trainers so he's a little distrustful of humans. Gardevoir told him that we only want to help and he's willing to give us a little bit of trust." Ash finished looking over at Sandshrew with the ground type staring back at him with cautious eyes while he ate the food.

"Poor thing." May said sympathetically, there was moments silence before May spoke again, "Ash, what does Gardevoir's voice sound like?" she asked. Ash thought about it for a minute before answering.

"I can't describe it properly you'd have to hear it to know what I mean, she sounds little bit like you but different, her voice is a slightly softer and sounds more like she's singing. It's a nice voice and when I was travelling alone I..." Ash's voice got quieter as he spoke until he mumbled the end of the sentence.

"Ash, speak up I want to hear what you said." May said, Ash took a deep breath before he repeated himself.

"I said when I was travelling alone I...found it comforting because it made me feel like I wasn't alone, like I was with you." Ash said quietly, he realized what he had said and quickly added, "and the others." May blushed when Ash said that it was comforting to feel like he was with her and giggled seeing the flustered expression on his face when he added to his sentence. Ash had turned a deep red and pulled his hat down to hide his face.

"So do you find it comforting to travel with me now?" May asked teasing the raven haired trainer.

"Well ,yeah I do," he replied, "although you can be a bit scary sometimes." He added smirking but as soon as he finished talking he found himself lying face down on the ground with May standing over him with her fist raised.

"What did you say?" she asked furiously. Ash slowly turned over to look at May and even though the look of fury on her face scared him more than facing a herd of Tyranitar with a newly hatched Magikarp, he also realised that to him she still looked beautiful.

"I said that I do find it comforting to travel with you and should have done it sooner." Ash said rubbing the back of his head where May had hit him, hoping to get on May's good side as soon as possible. The look on May's face softened at Ash's words and she once more lowered her fist, she held her hand out to Ash to help him up.

"That's sweet Ash, let me help you up." May said smiling at him, the fire in her eyes gone once more. Ash took her hand and started to stand until his mouth changed into a wicked grin as he suddenly threw his weight back causing May to fall on top of him. May shrieked as Ash pulled her down drawing the attention of all the Pokémon, Ash was laughing loudly with the Pokémon soon following. May pounded her fists against Ash's chest for a few minutes before she started laughing as well.

"Sorry May, I couldn't resist." Ash said while laughing.

"That's okay. I probably would have done the same thing." May replied. They stood up and brushed the dirt of their clothes, Ash was about to start tiding their camp up when he felt something pull on leg of his jeans. He looked down and saw Sandshrew looking back up at him.

"Do you want more food?" Ash asked kindly.

"Sand Shrew SandSand ShrewSand." Said the ground type thanking Ash for the food. Ash knelt down to look Sandshrew in the eye, he saw a desire to get stronger and a will that seemed to be too strong for such a small Pokémon.

"Sandshrew do you want to come with me? I know that we would make a great team and even better friends. What do you say?" Ash said keeping eye contact with the mouse Pokémon. Sandshrew stared at Ash for a minute before nodding, Ash took an empty Pokéball from his belt and held it in front of Sandshrew. "Are you sure you want to come with me?" Ash asked again, Sandshrew replied by tapping the centre of the ball and being sucked inside in a flash of red light, the ball didn't even shake once, the second it closed there was a `ding` and a small flash of light, the capture was complete. Ash quickly got his Pokédex out and pressed one of the buttons, stopping the ball being sent to Professor Oak's lab. May wondered why the Pokéball didn't go to the Professor's lab so Ash explained what he had done and they quickly cleaned up their camp so that they could start making their way to Cerulean City.

"Hey Ash," May said, "Why did I have a blanket over my sleeping bag?"

"I woke up during the night and you looked cold so I put it over you." He replied not looking up as he filled the fire pit in.

"Thank you for doing that but weren't you cold?" May asked quietly blushing slightly thinking it was very sweet of him to do that.. Ash shook his head as he looked over to May.

"No, when I was out training I spent some time on Mount Silver and Mount Coronet and it's a lot colder there then it is here." May just stared at Ash for a minute as he went back to work. _Ash really has changed, he used to complain when it was cold but now he's not even bothered by it,_ May thought, _he's not the boy I knew anymore, now he's a man but he's still the same when it comes to anything other then Pokémon, oblivious to the highest degree and willing to sacrifice himself for his friends. That's why I can't tell him how I feel it would either scare him away or,_ May heart started to flutter as she smiled, _if he felt the same it would make him more protective and that could get him hurt badly or worse._ May's smile faded and she felt a heavy weight on her shoulders, _To protect Ash, I need to keep my feelings hidden._

Ash saw that May looked sad and walked over to her putting a hand on her shoulder. May jumped having not seen Ash walk up to her.

"May, are you okay?" he asked, "You look sad, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just feeling a little ill today." She lied, "I'll be okay later."

"You sure? You know you can tell me anything May right?"

"I know Ash. I'm okay, just a little dizzy that's all." May said, Ash looked at her knowing that there was something she wasn't saying. He could have used his Aura to find out what it was but he wouldn't do it because it wasn't something a friend would do and he knew that if May wanted to take about it she would.

"I hope you feel better soon, maybe this will help." Ash said before he did something unexpected. He pulled May in, enveloping her in his arms and hugging her, May was surprised by this but soon rested her head on Ash's chest and wrapped her arms around his back holding him tightly with a smile on her face as her heart pounded in her chest from happiness. Ash was smiling as well but he didn't know why. "When I was a little kid if I was sick my mom would give me a hug and it made me feel better. I thought it might do the same for you." He explained, May didn't reply in words she just nodded her head. rubbing it against Ash's chest. While their trainers hugged the Pokémon all exchanged knowing glances and Glaceon edged her way closer to Pikachu.

After they stopped their hug, Ash noticed that May did look a lot happier, they continued to clean up the campsite finishing in about half an hour and then put their things back in their bags, May returned all of her Pokémon except for Glaceon while Ash returned Meowth, Gengar and Sceptile leaving Pikachu, Gardevoir and Lucario out.

"Ash, why have you left Gardevoir out?" May asked curiously.

"If I'm travelling with you again then I want Gardevoir to feel comfortable around you. Keeping Gardevoir out of her Pokéball will let the two of you get to know each other and Gardevoir will be able to see what a nice person you are." Ash answered, "Meowth's still injured from what happened in Rota and wants to rest some more, Gengar would just keep pulling pranks on us and Sceptile didn't feel like staying out. You already know that Pikachu won't go in a ball and Lucario just refuses to go in his ball saying that he has to stay by my side and not in a ball on my belt." May nodded in understanding, "Why have you left Glaceon out May?" he asked. May looked at her ice type Pokémon, then to Pikachu and finally at Ash.

"I thought Pikachu would like some company and seeing that he gets on so well with Glaceon, I thought it would be nice for the two if them to be out together." May answered, Ash simply smiled and agreed that it would be a good idea. "Er...Ash," May started, "because we're going into a city, we need to look like a couple again." Ash looked confused for a minute then he realised what May was saying.

"Okay, we need to hold hands again right?" he asked, May nodded blushing slightly.

"Right." May said sheepishly as Ash took her hand in his, they then started walking through the forest to Cerulean City.

* * *

After about an hour of walking Ash felt something vibrating in his pocket, he stopped, letting go of May's hand and took out the object. It was his GCS (G-Men Communication Sphere), Ash opened the Pokéball like device he flipped it open and on the small screen he was the worried face of the Johto League Champion Lance.

"Hi Lance." Ash said.

"Ash, I've only just seen that you tried to contact me. What's the problem?" asked the Champion.

"It's okay Lance, I've dealt with it." Ash explained before telling the Dragon trainer what had happened with Team Rocket. "Lance, why did it take so long for you to call me back?" Lance nodded his head and started to explain.

"I was on a mission to try and calm down the Legendary Birds of Kanto. For some reason they started to attack towns at random, during one of the attacks I was about to call you and ask for your help when Zapdos launched a Thunderbolt at me, I dived out of the way but dropped my GCS. The Thunderbolt fried it and I've only just been issued a new one. A couple of days ago they just stopped attacking, they looked a little confused and then returned to their nests though we don't know why. It's good to know that you were able to rescue the girl you kept talking about." May had been standing nearby wondering what was going on and blushed slight when she heard what Lance said.

"I think I might know why they stopped." Ash said as he told Lance what had happened in Rota with Mew leaving out the fact he was now an Aura Guardian.

"Makes sense Mew is the strongest Legendary Pokémon in Kanto and because it's a Psychic type it would be able to affect other Legendary Pokémon. Well, it seems that you saved the day again, Ash." An alarm could be heard behind Lance, the Champion sighed. "No rest for the weary. Goodbye Ash, good luck on your journey, well done getting your first badge and congratulations on becoming an Aura Guardian. First person to actually win the battle since Sir Aaron, right?"

"How did you know about that?" Ash asked surprised.

"I like to keep track of any trainer that can give me a challenge," Lance laughed, "and I like to know how my friends are doing. Goodbye Ash, remember if you need any help just press the green button."

"Same to you Lance, bye." Ash said smiling before closing his GCS, he turned back to May and saw the puzzled look on her face. "What's wrong May?" he asked.

"Why did Lance call you and what is that?" she asked pointing at the GCS in Ash's hand. It was then that Ash remembered that May didn't know that he worked with the G-Men from time to time. Ash took hold of May's hand again and as they walked to Cerulean City he explained how he had come to know Lance better and how he had become an ally of the G-Men. By the time Ash had finished explaining everything to May they had reached the outskirts of Cerulean City.

"Let the trick begin." Ash said grinning at May who smiled back as they started to walk into the city.

* * *

Ash and May quickly found the Pokémon Centre and booked a room, Ash called his mom to let her know how he was getting on with his journey, Brock to tell him that they had made it to Cerulean City and Professor Oak to exchange some of his Pokémon. Brock told Ash that Sian had passed on his message and congratulated him on passing his Aura Graduation along with what happened with Mew, Ash promised to tell Brock the whole story next time he visited. May called her parents, while Ash was talking to Professor Oak about swapping his Pokémon. Ash had convinced Meowth to go to Professor Oak's Lab until he was fully healed, Ash had told the Professor about the situation with Meowth and to explain it to his other Pokémon. Ash kept Sandshrew with him so the ground type could adjust to having a trainer.

"Hi mom, sorry I didn't call sooner but I've been really busy." May said when her mother answered the phone.

"Hello honey, where are you now?" asked Caroline.

"I'm in Cerulean City and I've won my first Contest Ribbon." May opened her ribbon case showing the Aura Ribbon to her mother, "and I drew in an unofficial contest in Pewter City."

"I'm so proud of you dear but who did you draw with?"

"I drew with Ash, we're travelling together again."

"I take it you asked him to help with your 'problem'. You know the green haired one." Caroline said. May had told her mom and dad that Drew was bothering her and that she had said Ash was her boyfriend.

"Yes I did and he's helping me. Ash beat Drew in the contest easily, he's trained with Wallace and he's stronger than ever now."

"You like him a lot don't you May." Caroline asked.

"Of course I do, he's my friend." May replied not looking her mom in the eye.

"You know what I mean May. I'm your mother, you can't hide things like this from me." May blushed and dropped her head slightly before looking back at the screen.

"Yeah, I do like him a lot," May admitted, "but I don't know if he likes me back. I was going to tell him how I felt but things got in the way." May then explained about the banquet and dancing with Ash after the contest leaving out the part about Ash being an Aura Guardian and Mew being the problem, simply saying that a Legendary Pokémon interrupted the moment and after seeing how Ash was willing to protect her, she was scared to tell him as he might put himself in more danger to help her if he returned her feelings. At that point May started to get quite emotional, Caroline just smiled and tried to comfort her daughter, after a minute May had calmed down and explain what she had done during the contests. After May finished talking Caroline asked a question.

"Is Ash with you now? Your father and I would like to talk to him."

"I'll get him but please don't tell him how I feel, I need to tell him myself when I'm ready."

"Don't worry we won't, I'll go and get your father." May walked over to the phone that Ash was sat on, she tapped him on the shoulder and when he turned round she say that he was talking to Professor Oak.

"Ash, my mom and dad want to talk to you about something." She said.

"Okay May," he said before turning back to the phone, "I'll call you back later Professor bye." Ash was about to hang up when May stopped him.

"Ash, can you leave it on, I want to ask Professor Oak something."

"Sure May." Ash got up and walked over to the phone that May had been using to talk to her parents after she quickly told him what she had told her parents about Rota.

* * *

"So May, are you having a good time travelling with Ash?" asked Professor Oak.

"Yes its good travelling with Ash again, I'd forgotten how fun it was." she said "Professor, can I ask you something?"

"Of course you can May. What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering I'd be able to transfer my Pokémon to your lab while I travel with Ash, if it's not too much trouble." Professor Oak smiled at her.

"It's no trouble at all, the last time your Pokémon were here they were very well behaved and got along really well with Ash's Pokémon, just have them transferred to my lab and call me when you want to exchange them."

"Thank you Professor, I'll send them over soon."

"I'll be waiting for them May. Now tell me how your contests are going."

* * *

While May was talking to Professor Oak, Ash had sat down at the phone May had been using.

"Hello Mr and Mrs Maple." Ash said when they appeared on the screen.

"Hello Ash, you know that you can call us by name don't you." Said Norman.

"I know you said that when we first met but it's been a while so I wanted to be polite."

"That's very nice of you Ash and we want to thank you for helping May with her problem and for travelling with her again. We worry about her being on her own but knowing that you're with her helps us to relax a bit because we know that you won't let anything happen to her." Said Caroline and Norman nodded in agreement before Norman cleared his throat.

"Ash, May told us that you agreed to pretend to be her boyfriend," Norman started, "and I want you to know that if you do anything to hurt her then you'll need to run far and run fast because I will be after you. So tell me, what have you been doing with my daughter?" He finished in an eerily calm voice and a stern expression on his face. Ash felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up in fear and anger starting to form in his gut.

"I would never do anything to hurt May," he snapped quietly so he didn't draw any attention to himself. When he saw the shocked looks on Norman's and Caroline's faces Ash calmed down, "I'm sorry about that but thinking that you thought I would hurt May made me angry." He apologised.

"That's perfectly understandable Ash. Norman, leave the poor boy alone he's the nicest person that May's travelled with and you know that." Said Caroline chiding her husband.

"I know that but it's a father duty to terrorize their daughter's boyfriend, even if it is only pretend. It's a sacred tradition that cannot be ignored. Now back to my question what have you and May been doing?" Norman asked, Ash decided to start from the beginning so Norman understood what was going on.

"When May asked me to help her I didn't know what I had to do so I asked May to tell me. She said that we needed to hold hands, I could give her flowers but not roses and put my arm around her but I only needed to do it if Drew was around. I said that I'd need to do it all the time because I wouldn't remember to do it when I needed to, before the contest in Pewter City Drew was bothering May so I walked over and put my arm round her, gave her a kiss and..."

"YOU KISSED MY DAUGHTER! START RUNNING! SLAKING, VIGOROTH COME HERE. WE'RE GOING HUNTING!" Norman roared drawing the attention of everyone in the Pokémon Centre, May ran over to see what was going on. She saw her mother trying to calm her father down, Slaking stood in the background looking confused as he scratched his stomach and Vigoroth jumping up and down while looking excited.

"Ash, what's going on?" May asked, Ash quickly explained what had happened and May understood why her dad was acting like that.

"Dad, DAD!," May shouted getting her father's attention, "He kissed me on the cheek and I've done the same to him," May blushed admitting it to her parents, "calm down, nothing else has happened apart from the occasional hug, holding hands and in Rota we danced together that's all." Norman started to calm down and turned back to look at Ash and May.

"That had better be all. Now Ash what are your intentions towards my daughter?" he asked still sounding angry.

"DAD!" May cried out of embarrassment, her face crimson, she was about to disconnect the call when Ash put his hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"Mr Maple, my intentions are to help May in any way I can and to keep her safe. I promise you, I won't let anything happen to her, no matter what I have to do and no matter the cost. You have my word." Ash said looking Norman in the eye. For a minute nothing was said until Norman nodded his head.

"Good," he said calming down, "I'm glad that May is travelling with you again because I know you'll look after her and make her happy. Ash, I trust you and I know that you'll protect May."

"I've done it before and I'll do it again." Ash said. May blushed at Ash's promise then realised what he had said.

"Well that's good to hear...wait, what do you mean you've done it before?" Caroline asked but before Ash could answer May interrupted.

"Bye mom, bye dad. We need to go now Ash has a Gym Battle soon. Can you transfer my Pokémon to Professor Oak's lab please. I love you and I'll call you soon. Bye." May said ending the call before her parents could say anything and walking to the main desk to see if their Pokémon were ready. Ash gave May a quizzical look not knowing why she did that and followed her.

"Why did you do that for May?" he asked. May sighed and turned around to look at Ash.

"I haven't told my mom and dad the truth about the adventures we've had." She said

"What do you mean?"

"I didn't tell them I nearly drowned in the Temple Of The Sea, that I've fallen off cliffs or any of the other dangerous situations I've been in over the years. Neither has Max,we decided to keep it a secret."

"Why?"

"Because if we told them they wouldn't have let us carry on our journeys or travel with you. They would have said it was too dangerous and kept us at home. Please don't tell them, please." May begged whilst using her most powerful weapon, her puppy dog eyes.

"Okay I understand now, I won't say anything to them. I'm going to get ready to play the trick on Misty." Ash said caving to the power of her eyes as he walked to the room that they booked and May waited at the desk for their Pokémon.

* * *

When Ash came back a few minutes later he was dressed in his Aura Guardian uniform and May had collected their Pokémon, she was sat on a chair scratching Pikachu behind the ear while Glaceon napped on her lap.. People in the Pokémon Centre were staring at Ash but he wasn't bothered by it, he just walked across the reception area to where May was waiting. As if sensing their trainer Lucario and Gardevoir came out of their Pokéballs and moved next to Ash, Ash simply shook his head and chuckled lightly.

"May, can you keep hold of Pikachu for me because he'll give the game away. Misty would recognise him anywhere." Ash asked.

"No problem Ash, right Pikachu." May said.

"Pika." Squeaked Pikachu as he jumped on to May's shoulder. Ash left Sandshrew with Nurse Joy so that the ground type could get a full check-up and have some more food. Ash and May left the Pokémon Centre with Lucario and Gardevoir walking just behind Ash until they got close to the Gym.

"I'll go in first May, in case Misty's by the door. Wait a minute then come in if you don't hear Misty's voice." Ash said, May nodded and watched Ash enter the Gym with Lucario and Gardevoir following him.

* * *

As Ash walked into the main entrance of the Gym he saw Misty's sisters peeking through the door that lead to the Gym's battlefield. Ash pulled his hat lower to hide his face in case they recognised him and cleared his throat to get their attention. Ash could see that Misty's sisters hadn't changed much, they still wore designer clothes, had perfect hair and makeup and they were still very pretty.

"Excuse me, could you tell me where the Gym Leader is please." He asked making his voice sound a little deeper than it already was. The three women turned around to see a man wearing a blue tunic over grey pants and a grey shirt, around his waist was a brown leather belt with a small pouch attached to the right hand side. He had blue boot on his feet, blue gloves with a crystal and yellow lines on them, he also wore a dark blue, almost black, cape and hat. His hat was pulled low on his face just showing his mouth and chin, there was a yellow symbol on a blue ribbon that wrapped around the hat. The man had black spiky hair and stood at about 6 feet in height. Even though they couldn't see his face properly the three Cerulean sisters could tell that the man was handsome, Daisy was the first to approach him swaying her hips from side to side.

"Hey cutie, what are you doing here?" she asked, hugging one of Ash's arms. Ash sweatdropped as Violet and Lily grabbed hold of him as well. All three of them getting close, VERY close, to Ash trying to look under his hat, Ash was starting to feel uncomfortable with the amount of contact they were making . Lucario and Gardevoir took a step back, Lucario was unsure whether to help his Master and Gardevoir was frightened by the way Daisy, Violet and Lily were acting around Ash.

"I'm looking for the Gym Leader, can you tell me where she is please." He asked again trying to escape from their grasp.

"Well you're in luck gorgeous because," Lily said standing directly in front of Ash only a few inches away from him, "I am the Gym Leader." She whispered seductively, Violet and Daisy gave her an angry glare.

"No she's not, I am." Said Violet, knocking Lily away and taking her place.

"They're like both wrong, I'm like the Gym Leader." Daisy said pushing Violet out of the way so she was now standing in front of Ash. The sisters started to fight until Ash got between them. (**AN Ash is a brave man.**)

"I'm looking for Misty," he said getting their attention once more, "Is she here?" The three sisters stopped fighting and sighed.

"Why does Misty get all the hot guys?" asked Lily out loud, not directing the question to anyone, Daisy and Violet looked at each other and sighed they turned to the now confused Ash.

"She's like, in the pool, she has company but I think she'd like, want the interruption." Daisy said. Violet nodded her head in agreement while Lily kept staring at Ash with pleading eyes as if asking him to forget about Misty and spend the day talking to her.

"Thank you," Ash said, "I'll go and see her now." He walked to the doors and was about to walk through when he heard Violet speak.

"Wait a minute," she said, "What's your name?" Ash stopped he'd spent so much time thinking about how to trick Misty he hadn't thought of a fake name to use. Ash was about to say his name was Tom Ato, when he heard Lucario's voice in his head.

**Master, if I may make a suggestion.** Said the Aura Pokémon as he gave Ash a name to use.

'_Thank you Lucario'_ Ash replied through his Aura, he turned to look at the Cerulean sister and smiled, "My name's Aaron and it was a pleasure to meet you all." He said before walking through the door with Lucario and Gardevoir following behind him.

* * *

May walked into the Gym just after Ash went through the door to the pool, she decided to wait another few minutes and talked to Misty's sister about what they had been doing recently.

* * *

As Ash walked down the corridor to the pool he heard Misty's voice.

"I've told you before I don't want to be your girlfriend. Now get out of my Gym!" she said angrily, Ash then heard a man's laugh he came to the end of the corridor and looked into the pool area. Misty was standing on the edge of the pool arguing with a man. The man was slightly over 6 foot tall and wore an orange shirt, green pants and a green belt with a gold buckle shaped like a roaring Gyarados. He had short blond hair and carried himself with an air of overconfidence. Misty was wearing a yellow short sleeved jacket over a blue t-shirt, yellow shorts and red trainers. Misty had grown over the years she was now a few inches taller, her hair was longer and slightly darker, she was no longer the skinny girl Ash knew now Misty was a fully grown and beautiful woman with a curvy yet athletic body.

"Come now Misty, I'm the King of the Seas. Tell me why you don't want to become my Queen?" the man said in a deep voice. Ash could see Misty was getting even more angry and was about to leave planning on playing the trick on her tomorrow, when she would be in a better mood but before he could turn around and leave Misty saw him.

Misty wondered who the person stood at the end of the corridor and an idea popped into her head normally she wouldn't do something like that but desperate times call for desperate measures.

"You want to know why," she said to the man, "I'll tell you why I already have a boyfriend and here he is now." Misty turned away from the man walking straight to Ash, she grabbed his hand and dragged him over to the pool. She stopped a few feet from the man and gave Ash a quick peck on the cheek as she whispered into his ear, "I'm sorry to drag you into this but please play along." _She doesn't recognise me, she's going to kill me when she finds out who I am_ Ash thought as he was a bit stunned by the kiss, he nodded his head slightly to show Misty that he would help.

* * *

May was walking down the corridor to watch the trick when she saw Misty grab Ash's hand and drag him out of view. May ran to the end of the corridor as quietly as she could and when she got there she peeked out and saw Misty kiss Ash on the cheek, May felt a pit of anger form in her stomach, she was jealous, she noticed that there was a man in front of Ash and from looking at their body language May quickly worked out what was happening.

* * *

"This," the man said looking at Ash in disgust, "is your boyfriend?"

"Yes he is." Misty replied. "We've been together for a few weeks now, I've like him longer than that but it was only a few weeks ago when I told him how I felt." Misty hugged Ash's arm while Lucario and Gardevoir waited behind them. Ash wanted to know who this man was, who was bothering the first human friend he made on his journey, so he decided to introduce himself.

"Hi, I'm Aaron. Nice to meet you." He said in his altered voice extending his hand, the man looked at Ash's hand but didn't take it and he just glared at Ash, "Who are you?" Ash asked. A look of shock appeared on the man's face and Misty's mouth twisted into a barely contained smirk.

"You don't know who I am?" the man asked in shock, Ash shook his head, "I am the King Of The Seas, I am Arthur the Water Type member of the Kanto Elite Four." He said putting his hands on his hips.

"Oh, nice to meet you. What are you doing here?" Ah asked not that impressed by Arthur's title.

"I'm here because Misty is destined to be my Queen, no other water type trainer is capable enough to stand at my side. Now leave us so that Misty and I can go about our destiny as the Monarchs of the Seas." Arthur said as he tried to intimidate Ash, Arthur pushed his chest out to show off his athletic physique.

"No." Ash replied. Arthur took a step back in shock, he had been able to intimidate everyone he met apart from the Champions, yet this unknown person in strange clothes wasn't bothered in the slightest. "Misty has told you she's has a boyfriend," Ash said putting his arm round Misty's waist, glad that his hat hid the blush on his face, his hat also stopped him from seeing the blush on Misty's face, "she's not destined to be your Queen and she's asked you to leave the Gym. So YOU go, leave Misty alone and never come back." Ash finished his every word had been filled with the conviction that he would fight anyone who challenged him. Arthur stood there for a minute before Ash raised his head, turning it so Misty wouldn't see his face and showed Arthur his Aura filled eyes causing the man to back away from them heading towards the exit of the Gym in shock.

* * *

May felt jealousy fill her stomach once more when she saw Ash put his arm around Misty though she knew he was only doing it to help her. She felt proud of Ash for standing by his friend like that and slightly in awe of the power he put behind his words. She saw the man walking towards her so she pressed herself against the side of the corridor trying to escape his gaze.

* * *

Ash took his arm from around Misty's waist and took a few steps away from her.

"Sorry about putting my arm round you like that Miss Waterflower. You asked me to play the part of a boyfriend so I did. I'm sorry if made you feel uncomfortable to be held like that by a stranger." Ash said bowing.

"It's okay, thank you for helping me. He's been asking me out for weeks and he wouldn't give up. How did you get him to leave? I mean you just looked at him and he went." Misty asked.

"I must just have a scary face." Ash chuckled as he stood upright, "I was coming to talk to you anyway. I have got a couple of favours to ask."

"After you helped me I can't really say no now can I. What do you need?"

"I was wondering if I could use your pool just to give one of my Pokémon a chance to stretch a little. Being in his Pokéball for too long makes him a bit cranky."

"No problem, feel free to use the pool for as long as you want." Misty replied.

"Thank you," Ash said taking a Pokéball from his belt and hesitated before throwing it, "one question is your Gyarados in the pool?" Misty shook her head.

"No, all of my Pokémon are at the Pokémon Centre for their annual check-up otherwise I would have gotten rid of Arthur a lot quicker. Why?"

"Because I don't think he'd like to share the pool," Ash said throwing the Pokéball into the air, "Come on out." He shouted. The Pokéball burst open and his black Gyarados appeared in the pool announcing his arrival with a roar. Misty's eyes started to sparkle on seeing the enormous water type, Gyarados lowered his head close to Ash. Ash reached out his hand and stroked the crest on Gyarados' head.

"Can I?" Misty asked, Ash smiled and nodded as Misty slowly walked towards the Pokémon and gently put her hand on the crest. "So what else can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if you could give me some information about a trainer I'm trying to find." Ash said after a minute bringing Misty's attention back to him.

"Who is it you're looking for?"

"Ash Ketchum," Ash said, "I've heard rumours that he's appeared all over the world for the past three years but I'm unable to find him. I heard that you travelled with him for a couple of years when you were younger so I was hoping that you could help me find him." Misty was surprised that this mysterious new person was looking for Ash but there was something about him that made her trust him.

"I haven't seen him for a while but I heard from my friend Brock in Pewter City that he was heading to Rota about a week ago. You might be able to find him there." Ash decided to mess with Misty a little more.

"What can you tell me about him?"

"Why do you want to know?" Misty asked suspiciously.

"I plan on battling him and I just want a little insight into who he is to get an idea of his battling style, that's all."

"Well, Ash is impulsive and very determined, when he battles he never hold back and comes up with the strangest ideas but they always turn the battle in his favour if he's backed in to a corner. He loves all of his Pokémon and he's loyal to his friends, he's saved my life a few times over the years and I think he's the best person I've ever met but don't tell him that he's got a big enough head as it is." She giggled.

"I might be a little late for that." Ash said as he stopped talking in a deeper voice, reaching for another Pokéball, "Misty I've got a little confession to make my name's not Aaron. This should tell you what my name is." He opened the Pokéball and a purple Pokémon with large white wings materialised. The Pokémon wore a yellow handkerchief round his neck, the Pokémon looked around and saw a familiar face. He flew over to Misty and landed on her shoulder rubbing his head against hers. Misty was a little apprehensive about the bug type but when she saw the handkerchief she realised that she knew this Pokémon.

"Butterfree? but that would mean..." Misty started to say in confusion before she stopped talking, watching as Ash lifted his hat up to reveal his face. Her face paled as she recognised Ash's face, a number of emotions flooded through her mind going from happiness to see her friend after so long, to amazement that Ash was able to play the part of a boyfriend so easily, to embarrassment that she had kissed him and finally to anger that he had tricked her into admitting what she really thought about him.

"Hey Misty, it's been a while." He said grinning, Misty stood looking at him in shock for a minute before she pulled her trusty mallet out of thin air, a look of rage on her face and a vein visibly throbbing on her forehead. Ash took an involuntary step back out of instinct and past experience. _She still has the mallet, I'm going to die. _He thought.

"Ash Ketchum, I am going to kill you." Misty said in a scarily calm voice before charging forward swinging the mallet, aiming for Ash's head intent on beating him into the ground. What happened next surprised Misty more than finding out that Ash had tricked her, as she swung the mallet down to smack Ash on the head he sidestepped it, dodging the attack completely. Misty tried again and again but Ash kept dodging the mallet, sidestepping it, ducking under it, jumping over it and at one point he bent over backwards letting the weapon skim across his chest. Lucario watched with an amused smile on his face while Gardevoir looked worried, Ash had told them that this would probably happen and not to get involved. Finally Ash decided to end the assault, he grabbed the handle of the mallet pulling it out of Misty's grasp before spinning it around in one hand and breaking it over his knee. Ash dropped the two pieces on the ground looking at the shocked and now tired Misty.

"Is that anyway to say hello to your friend." he said smiling, he was about to explain everything to Misty, about how he was able to do what he had done and where he had been when they heard the smack of skin on skin and a man's voice yell.

"HOW DARE YOU STRIKE THE KING OF THE SEAS!" Ash took off running towards the corridor and saw Arthur standing in front of May with his fist drawn back and May with a look of fear on her face. Ash immediately fired an Aura Sphere directly in front of Arthur's face, barely missing him. Arthur turned to look at Ash, as May ran to his side, standing slightly behind him, the Pokémon forming a defensive line in front of her.

"That was a warning, leave her alone and get out of this Gym or the next one won't miss." Ash said as he slowly formed two Aura Spheres in the palm of each hand, his eyes filled with glowing Aura once more, flames of Aura flickering across his shoulders and down his arms. Arthur's eyes widened in fear and Misty looked at Ash as if he was a stranger. _Is this really Ash? _She thought.

"What are you?" asked the Elite Four member quietly.

"I am an Aura Guardian of the Sovereign state of Rota, knight and member of the Royal Court, honoured protector of Queen Ilene. My name is Sir Ash Ketchum and you will not harm my friends. Leave now or I'll make you." Ash answered, standing taller, and to Misty and May looking very heroic the only thing missing was a light breeze to make his cape move. Lucario and Gardevoir stood alongside him holding an Aura Sphere and Focus Blast respectively, Butterfree's eyes glowed ready to fire a Psybeam, Pikachu stood his ground in front of May with electricity crackling across his body and Gyarados positioned his head at the end of the corridor glaring at the man who threatened his trainer's friends. Glaceon stood next to Pikachu, her fur bristled and she bared her small fangs willing to do whatever it took to protect May. Arthur slowly started walking backwards before turning and nearly running from the building. Both Misty and May were in awe of Ash he had just saved May from being attacked and given a very intimidating speech. Ash and the Pokémon stopped their attacks and relaxed, Misty tapped Ash on his shoulder. He turned to face her and saw a look of part fear, part awe and part questioning.

"Ash Ketchum, you have some explaining to do." She said, Ash nodded and after Misty had said hello to May and Pikachu they went to sit down. Ash, May and the Pokémon followed Misty into the living area of the Gym, as it acted as both the Gym and the home of the Waterflower family. Butterfree was returned to his Pokéball and Gyarados was left in the pool. Misty led them into the living room and sat in an arm chair while Ash and May sat next to each other on the couch. Lucario stood behind the couch, Gardevoir sat next to Ash, Pikachu sat on May's lap and Glaceon sat by May's feet. The room was painted a light blue with various pictures on the walls showing Misty and her sisters with their water type Pokémon, along with some family photos. The furniture was a pale green and the carpet was the same colour.

Ash started from the beginning telling Misty how he had spent the last three years training his Pokémon, catching some new Pokémon and reuniting with old ones, starting his journey, meeting with May, the favour, running into Team Rocket, going to Rota and nearly everything else that had happened. Ash kept some things a secret because they were his training methods, some of his newest Pokémon and some other things.

"Misty, there's a couple of reasons I've come here, one is a Gym Battle. I'm entering the Indigo League and I'm collecting the badges again, this time I want to earn them properly." He said.

"That's great Ash but you won't be getting the Cascade Badge this time." Misty said teasingly.

"I don't know Misty, Ash has gotten a lot stronger than he was last time we saw him." May said defending Ash. Misty noticed that May was quick to side with Ash and how close they were sitting next to each other.

_I guess Brock wasn't joking when he called about Ash and May._ Misty thought, "So Ash," she started, "You said a couple of reasons that's one, what's the other? Are you finally going to give me the bike you owe me, come to think of it now you owe me a mallet as well." Misty started laughing, Ash laughed along with her before rowing serious. "Come on Ash what is it?" Ash looked at his friend and sighed, he knew that Misty would want her memories back and he didn't want her to be upset by them but it was her choice.

"Do you remember when we were travelling together and ended up in that port not knowing how we got there?" he asked.

"Barely, why?" Misty replied.

"I remember and if you want, I can help you remember as well."

"Ash, why would I want to remember how I got to a port?"

"Because something else happened and we were made to forget."

"Ash, tell me what happened. What could make us forget?" Ash took a deep breath before answering.

"Mewtwo." He said. Misty immediately looked at May then back at Ash, "It's okay Misty, May knows. I was training in the woods by Brock's house and Mewtwo came to talk to me, May walked into the clearing and Mewtwo said it was okay to tell her. Now do you want to remember or not?"

"What do I need to do?" she asked.

"Nothing, just sit still." Ash leaned forward his hand glowing with Aura as he placed it on Misty's forehead, he then closed his eyes and focused. Memories long hidden flooded into her mind she saw herself, Ash and Brock clinging to Squirtle and Staryu as they braved a storm trying to get to an island, hearing a strange Pokémon talk about clones, seeing a brutal battle between Ash's Charizard and a cloned one, the other trainers on the island trying to defend their Pokémon from black Pokéballs, Ash diving down a chute after a ball that had captured Pikachu, an explosion followed by Ash's voice saying 'I won't let you', an enormous battle ending with Ash running between two powerful blasts of energy and being turned to stone and finally the tears of the Pokémon floating through the air landing on Ash bringing him back from the dead. Ash took his hand from Misty's head and placed it on her shoulder, floods of tears flowed from her green eyes as all of the emotion from that day came back in one go. Misty pulled Ash into a hug and wept into his shoulder, Ash wore a sad smile as he rubbed Misty's back trying to comfort her.

May watched this and though she felt jealous of Misty of being in Ash's arms, she knew that what had happened that day was something the needed to deal with together. A small part of May wanted to know what actually happened, she wanted to see it with her own eyes so she could full understand what Ash, Misty and Brock had gone through, so that she could help them deal with their returned memories. A few seconds after thinking that memories flooded into May's mind, she saw the events on New Island and Mount Quena. The sudden intake of memories was too much for May to take and she collapsed on to the couch, Ash was still holding Misty trying to calm her. Pikachu felt May start to fall and let out a surprised yell.

"Kachuka!" (**AN, I've picked this as Pikachu's name for May as it sounds like her Japanese name**). Ash and Misty looked up and saw May roll off the couch and lie on the floor unconscious. Lucario had been leaning against the wall with his eyes closed moved to May's side and used Heal Pulse to try help her. Glaceon nuzzled her trainer trying to wake her up.

"May!" Ash shouted releasing Misty and moving to May's side, shaking her gently as he tried to wake her up, "What happened?" Ash asked looking at Lucario and Pikachu, both of them shook their heads not knowing what had happened. Ash then looked at Gardevoir and saw that she was looking down at the floor. "Gardevoir, do you know what happened?" he asked as he edged closer to the psychic type, Ash saw tears rolling down Gardevoir's pale cheeks and heard her voice in his head. Misty got control of herself knowing that they would talk about Mewtwo later and that right know May needed their help. Misty knelt next to May trying to wake her and telling her that everything would be alright.

_'I didn't mean to hurt her. She only wanted to help you and your friends. She wanted to understand.'_ She said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked putting his hand on Gardevoir's shoulder. Misty look at Ash in surprise she hadn't heard Gardevoir talk, yet Ash was obviously having a conversation with her.

_"I heard her thoughts, she wanted to understand what you and your friends had gone through on New Island and Mount Quena. I showed her what happened, thinking that it would help but I was wrong...I'm sorry. Please don't be angry with me. You are the nicest person I've ever met and I don't want you to be disappointed with me."_Gardevoir was crying openly now and she started to glow, Ash realised that she was about to Teleport away so he channelled his Aura making it surround her, stopping her from leaving. Ash pulled his psychic type into a hug as she wept in to his shoulder.

"Gardevoir, it's okay. I'm not angry or disappointed with you, I know you didn't mean to hurt May. Can you help her? Can you wake her up?"

_"I'll do whatever I need to do to help May. This was my mistake, I need to fix it."_Gardevoir nodded and moved closer to May after Ash released her from the hug and closed her eyes. Ash lifted May up and placed her on the couch, he sat on down and rested her head on his lap slowly stroking her hair as he silently prayed she would be okay.

* * *

Meanwhile May was living through everything that happened between Ash and Mewtwo, she felt everything, the emotions that Ash, Misty and Brock had felt during those events, the pain of seeing their Pokémon being captured and seeing them fighting their clones. May felt Ash's life being taken away causing tears to pour from her eyes, even though she knew about it, seeing it happen made it real and it scared her more than anything else in the world. Her tears of sorrow were soon replaced by tears of joy as she saw the tears of the Pokémon return Ash's life. The event at Mount Quena played through her mind next, she saw Team Rocket attack the home that Mewtwo had found for himself and the clones, Giovanni gloating over Mewtwo while he was caged by the robots. She could feel Ash's resolve to help Mewtwo no matter what and the weight of Mewtwo's tired body on her shoulders as if she was the one carrying him not Ash. She experienced everything that had happened during the encounters with Mewtwo, the memories faded to black after Ash, Misty and Brock left Mount Quena and May fell into the blackness.

* * *

May woke up to find she was lying in a sea blue bed, she sat up but soon regretted it she held her head as she felt a pounding like a herd of Tauros were stampeding around inside it. May lay back down for a few minutes trying to remember what had happened but her mind drew a blank, she tried to sit up again, this time she sat up slower and was able to do it without feeling any pain. Looking around the room she saw pictures of Ash, Brock and Misty on the walls _This must be Misty's room_ she thought, she then saw something curled up at the end of the bed. It was Pikachu and Glaceon, May gently nudged them with her foot to wake them up. Pikachu rolled on to his stomach and stretched he looked up at May and smiled.

"Kachuka." He said happily before leaping off the bed and running to the door, he jumped up grabbing the handle with his front paws and pushed off the wall with his back paws causing the door to open slowly. May smiled at how funny it was seeing Pikachu open the door. Glaceon stood up and jumped onto her trainer, thankful she was okay May smiled and started to stroke Glaceon's fur, enjoying the coolness of it.

"Pikapi, Pikachupi." He shouted out of the door before running back to the bed and launching himself into May's lap next to Glaceon. May started to pet Pikachu as well, she heard footsteps coming towards the room quickly, Ash ran into the room and stopped when he saw May sitting up in the bed smiling at him.

"Ash," May said, "What happ..." was all May could say before she remembered everything and her eyes started to water, she held her arms out to Ash, he walked forward, sat on the bed and enveloped her in a hug.

"It's okay, May," Ash said soothingly as they rocked back and forth, "It's okay. I'm not going anywhere, I'm right here."

"I saw...you were...it was...I" May tried to speak but her tears wouldn't let her. They just sat there holding each other for a few minutes until May had stopped crying but was still clinging to Ash as if he would disappear if she let go. "I saw what you did for the Pokémon." She said quietly, "You...died."

"I know but you should know by now that it takes more than that to stop me. I'm going to be a Pokémon Master and nothing's going to stop me" Ash said earning a small giggle from May. "After all I still needed to meet you, Max, Tracey, Dawn, Cilan and Iris. I had a lot of other places and Pokémon to save too, didn't I." Ash felt May nod her head against his chest. They heard a knock on the door, looking up they saw Misty standing in the door way with a smile on her face. While May had been asleep Ash and Misty had talked about their returned memories and Misty's sisters had left the Gym to do some shopping.

"Glad to see you're okay May. You've been asleep for a while." Misty said.

"How long have I been asleep?" May asked.

"Three, nearly four hours." May was about to ask how she had gotten the memories when Gardevoir came into the room with her head bowed and her hands clasped together in front of her. Gardevoir that lifted her head, looked May in the eyes and spoke to her.

_"I'm sorry for what I did to you. Please forgive me."_ Gardevoir said softly. May was a little shocked that Gardevoir was talking to her, realising that Gardevoir voice did sound like her own, _"I heard your thought about how you wanted to understand, I thought I was helping you but I hurt you instead. I am truly sorry for all the pain I have put you through. I will accept any punishment you see fitting as a way of repaying the anguish I put you through."_After Gardevoir finished speaking she lowered her gaze back to the floor. May just stared at the Psychic type, after a minute of silence May spoke.

"Gardevoir, can you come here please." She said quietly. Gardevoir nodded and moved to stand in front of May, her head still facing the ground, she was expecting to be slapped and insulted but something else happened which truly shocked her. May wrapped her arms around Gardevoir and gave her a hug, "I know you didn't mean to hurt me and I'm not the type of person who would punish a Pokémon for any reason." She said. May released Gardevoir from the hug and held the Psychic type's shoulders, "I do have a couple of things to ask though, one will you help me train Spoink to use Psychic like you can and secondly will you be my friend?" While Gardevoir wore a look of shock, Ash smiled he knew that May wouldn't be mad at Gardevoir and would only want to be her friend.

_"It would be a great honour to friends with someone as kind as you, Mistress May."_Gardevoir said, emotion ruling her words as she held back tears of joy.

"You don't have to call me that, just call me May." May said. Ash could hear both sides of the conversation and started to chuckle, he saw the questioning look on Misty's face and explained what had happened.

"Gardevoir apologised to May and said that she would take any punishment May would give her. You heard May's answer to that and then Gardevoir said that she would be happy to be friends with Mistress May." He said.

"Mistress May?" Misty asked.

"Yeah, Lucario started it and now Gardevoir has started to call May, Mistress. Lucario said it was as a sign of respect, the thing that confuses me is that he calls every other girl I know Lady. He calls my mom Lady Delia, you Lady Misty and the same with everyone else but I don't understand why he says Mistress instead of Lady to May."

"You'll figure it out eventually Ash," Misty said having an idea why May was being called Mistress and liking the fact that Lucario referred to her as Lady Misty, "I have a question though. Why can't I hear Gardevoir's voice?"

"Gardevoir's had a...er...let's call it a difficult past. If she'll let me I'll tell you about it later, because of what happened she gets very scared around people and it takes her a while to get used to new people. It took a while for Gardevoir to feel comfortable around Professor Oak and my mom, just give it some time and she'll start to open up to you." Ash replied. They both then turned to look at May who was staring at Ash as if he were a ghost.

"Ash," Misty said, "let me talk to May, I know what she's going through and I'll be able to help her more than you can."

"How?"

"It's a girl thing." Misty replied. Not knowing what the 'girl thing' was and not wanting to know Ash nodded and left the room with Gardevoir and Pikachu following him. Glaceon stayed in the room curled up on May's lap. (**AN like Ash I have no idea what a 'girl thing' is so please use your imaginations**).

* * *

While May and Misty were talking Ash decided to get a little training done, he walked to the pool where his Gyarados was still swimming and jumped onto one of the floating platforms. He looked over to where Lucario sat meditating.

"Hey, Lucario want to do some training?" Ash called across the pool. The Aura Pokémon opened his red eyes to look at Ash.

**Of course Master.** He replied standing up before jumping onto another platform and settling into a fighting stance. **Shall we begin?** He asked with a grin on his face. Ash nodded and started to make his way towards his Aura partner as Pikachu and Gardevoir watched.

* * *

"So, you feel better now?" Misty asked. It had been an hour since Ash had left the room and after talking with Misty, May was starting to adjust to the events involving Mewtwo.

"Yeah, thanks for helping me Misty. It means a lot to have you as a friend." May answered.

"So are you going to tell Ash how you feel about him?" Misty said changing the subject.

"I...I don't know what you mean." May said looking down at the floor, not meeting Misty's gaze.

"Yes, you do May," Misty retorted before trying a different approach, "I'm going to let you in on a little secret, when I was travelling with Ash I had a crush on him." May looked at the Gym Leader in shock. "If you're not interested in Ash, do you mind if I try? When Ash was pretending to be Aaron I was going to ask him out and now I know it is Ash and you don't like him like that, I think I will ask him out."

"Ash is mine, Misty not yours or anyone else's MINE. Do you understand me?" May snapped viciously causing Misty to jump from her seat on the bed in shock. Misty quickly composed herself and gave May a cocky grin.

"I knew you liked him." She said teasingly, it was then that May realised what Misty had done and tried to turn it back around.

"Misty, were you telling the truth about liking Ash?" Misty blushed lightly.

"Sort of," she said quietly, "When we travelled together I did have a crush on him but I've gotten over it now. Though I was going to ask him out when he was Aaron to say thank you for the help and because of how mysterious he was. Does Ash know you like him?"

"No and I can't tell him."

"Why not?" Misty asked, May then explained what had happened since they met in Viridian City but from her point of view, how she felt after seeing Ash after so long, how he had helped her with Drew, the tam rocket attack and the days following, how Ursula acted around Ash and Sian's trick to get her to battle properly, dancing and singing together in Rota, the midnight walk and what nearly happened before the trouble with Mew started.

"That's why I can't tell him, if he feels the same way then he'll just put himself in more danger to protect me and I don't want him to get hurt again." Misty put a reassuring hand on May's shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. It's obvious Ash cares about you, helped you a lot and I think he feels the same way but doesn't realise it. Next time you get a chance to tell him, take it. Now come on let's go and find Ash. He's probably bored after waiting so long." Misty said. May nodded getting out of the bed, Glaceon jumped to the floor.

"Misty, how did I get here I remember sitting on the couch and fainting after the memories came into my head."

"Ash asked Gardevoir to help you and then carried you in here so you could rest, he didn't want to leave you alone but I made him in case he woke you up. While you were asleep we talked about the memories and how he helped Brock remember as well." The two girl and Glaceon left Misty's bedroom and walked through the Gym to try and find Ash, they heard a loud bang followed by some familiar laughter.

They quickly made their way to the main battlefield of the Gym finding found Ash and Lucario jumping from one platform to another knocking an Aura Sphere back and forth. May and Misty also saw Pikachu and Gardevoir cheering them on, as Ash moved to another platform he saw that Misty and May were watching them. He formed an Aura Sphere in his hand and shot it at the one they had been using for their training causing both spheres to destroy each other. Glaceon walked up to Pikachu and sat down next to him.

"That's enough training for now Lucario." Ash said to his Aura partner who nodded in return, they both made their way to the side of the pool where Misty and May were waiting. "Hi May, you feel any better now?"

"I feel fine now Ash, it'll just take me a while to get used to these new memories," May turned to Gardevoir, "Gardevoir, thank you for giving me these memories. Now that I know what happened my friendships with Ash, Misty and Brock..."

"Pika!" interrupted Pikachu making May giggle.

"and Pikachu will get stronger. I hope we can have a friendship just as strong." May finished, Gardevoir looked at the brunette and nodded while smiling. Misty looked around the Gym to see that there was a scorch mark on one of the walls.

"Ash, what was the bang we heard?" she asked glaring at her friend while pointing at the scorch mark.

"Sorry Misty," Ash said scratching the back of his head, "I missed the ball. I'll clean it up later okay." Misty nodded then remembered something, she excused herself from the group and disappeared down the corridor, a couple of minutes later she came back with a small brown parcel.

"This was delivered here a couple of months ago addressed to you Ash, with a note saying that it needed to be hand delivered to you and no-one else. I don't know who it's from and I would have taken it to Pallet Town sooner but I've been really busy preparing the Gym for the trainers coming for Gym Badges for the Pokémon League." Misty handed the it to Ash, he sat down on the nearby bench and carefully opened the parcel. Inside was an envelope and three shrunken Pokéballs, Ash picked up the envelope, opened it taking out the letter inside and started to read it. Ash's face showed no emotion until he finished reading it, he put the parcel and letter next to him on the bench before standing up and starting to walk out of the Gym with his head bowed low. Misty and May were worried about Ash, May ran in front of him causing him to stop him from leaving.

"Ash, who was the letter from?" She asked trying to see his face. A few minutes of uncomfortable silence followed until he looked up and what May saw broke her heart, Ash's brown eyes were filled with tear and pain was visible in them. She could see that what ever was in that letter had a devastating effect on Ash, finally he spoke saying only two words in a voice completely filled with emotions log held back.

"My dad." He said before he fell to his knees, put his head in his hands and cried while May and Misty stood there in shock. They both wondered what the letter had said to make Ash breakdown like that. May knelt next to Ash trying to comfort him the same way he had done for her, holding him close and telling him everything would be alright as she slowly rocked him back and forth while Misty comforted Ash's Pokémon who felt his pain as if it were their own.

* * *

**So what did you think of the trick. I know that any advanceshipper reading this probably don't like the bit where Misty's thinking about asking Ash out but I had to do it.**

**I had a request to put in the teams being used by Ash and May so this here they are.**

**Ash: Pikachu, Lucario, Gardevoir, Gyarados, Butterfree and Sandshrew**

**May: Glaceon, Blaziken, Wartortle, Spoink, Flaffy, Munchlax**

**I'll start putting their teams in at the start of future chapters and the end if they've changed during the chapter.**

**For Ash's Gym Battle against Misty I'm going to introduce two of his new pokemon and I want to use one from either his Hoenn, Sinnoh or Unova team. So I give that choice to you the readerbut please take into account that heavy pokemon such as rock/ground types won't really work well on floating platforms.**

**One last thing before I sign off. I've got a list of the move combinations that I've thought up and wondering if I should up load it. I'd appreciate your opinions on if I should or not.**

**That it from me.**

**See you next time.**

**Basic Trainer.**


	10. Chapter 10

**In this chapter the contents of the letter are revealed. As are the Pokémon Ash received with the letter. Thanks to everyone who has put their suggestion in for Ash's third Pokémon in his Gym battle which will be in the next chapter. There will be a familiar face returning in this chapter.**

**So without further ado here it is.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 10

The Letter

May held Ash tightly as she slowly rocked back and forth trying to comfort him, whatever was written in that letter had shaken the young Aura Guardian to his core. She spoke softly telling him that everything would be alright and not to worry because she'll be there for him, whenever he needs someone to talk to. Ash heard all of this but didn't react to it, he just knelt there tears streaming down his cheeks and released the torrent of pent up emotions he had towards his father. The anger of him leaving, the pain of growing up without a father to teach him things, the grief of not knowing if he was alive or not, the joy that his father had contacted him and every other possible emotion that currently rampaged through his mind.

Misty had calmed Ash's Pokémon, the most difficult one to deal with was Pikachu. He continued to struggle in Misty's arms trying to get to Ash but Misty wouldn't let go, she just kept stroking the electric type to try and calm, not only him but herself as well. Misty was hoping that in his current mind frame Pikachu wouldn't shock her just so he could get to Ash. She had never seen Ash in a state like this, she had seen him hurt, angry, sad even dead but she had never seen him..., she searched for the word to describe Ash's current condition and the only one that came close was broken. Whatever was written in that letter had broken Ash, he had lost his centre and the barrier that held back all of the feelings he had towards his father had crumbled leaving him in an emotional wreck. Curiosity was starting to get the better of Misty as she looked between Ash and the letter, she slowly reached out to pick it up when Gardevoir took hold of it first and held it tightly. Even though words weren't exchanged Misty understood what Gardevoir meant, the letter was for Ash's eyes only unless he said otherwise. Glaceon was helping Misty with Ash's Pokémon knowing that May would be able to help Ash on her own.

Half an hour passed and Ash had finally stopped crying, he was completely drained of emotion, his arms that had been hanging limply by his sides were now wrapped loosely around May, as he could hardly muster the strength to return the hug properly. Another few minutes passed before Ash started to move, with May's help he stood up and moved over to the bench sitting down again with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. Misty and May saw that Ash's brown eyes that had always warm, bright and caring were now cold, dull and lifeless. Glaceon rubbed gently against Ash's leg but he didn't notice and just continued to stare at the floor. May sat down next to him with her arm over his shoulders. Seeing Ash like this broke May's heart, she was near tears herself but held them back for Ash's sake. Misty sat the other side of Ash with Pikachu in her lap an arm wrapped around him, she put her hand on Ash's shoulder and Pikachu put a paw on his leg, they all sat together like that for a few minutes signifying their support for their friend in his time of need.

"Wh...Where's the letter?" he asked, his voice hoarse from crying. Misty was about to answer when Gardevoir held it out to Ash, slowly he reached out and took it. "Thanks Gardevoir." He said with only a hint of gratitude in his voice, Gardevoir simply nodded knowing that Ash was grateful but in his current state he was unable to express it properly. Ash stared at the letter, not reading it just looking at it as if he was unsure that it was real, Pikachu finally managed to escape Misty's arms and leapt onto Ash's shoulder. Pikachu rubbed his cheek against Ash's while softly giving him words of encouragement. May and Misty stood from the bench giving Pikachu the chance to help Ash.

"Pikapi, Pikachu Kachu Pika Chuka Pika Pika Pipichu Pikachu Chu. Pikapika Chu Kapi Chukapi Piiiiika Pika Chupika, Pi Pichu Kapika Chukapi Pichuka." Ash turned to look at Pikachu, the one Pokémon that had never left his side for more than a day since he began his journey and smiled.

"You're right Pikachu, thanks." Ash said scratching Pikachu behind his ear.

"Chaaaa." Pikachu squeaked happily. Ash looked at Misty and May, they saw his eyes were no longer cold and dull but not yet back to their normal lustre, he slowly stood up and pulled them both into a warm hug.

"Thank you." He said holding them both close, the girls returned the hug and after a minute pulled back. They both looked at Ash seeing that their friend was slowly returning to his normal state of mind but it would take a while before the effects of the letter fully faded. Ash held the letter out towards them, "Here," he said, "read it."

"Ash, we can't. Whatever's in that letter is meant for your family to read, not Misty and me." May said, Misty nodded in agreement.

"May, my...dad...left when I was three. I barely remember him, since then me and my mom have found a new, better family." Ash saw the questioning look on both May and Misty's faces, they both wondered what Ash meant but they could also hear a change in Ash's voice when he mentioned his dad, "I'm talking about my Pokémon and everyone I've travelled with," he put a hand on each of their shoulders, "you are my family now along with Brock, Tracey, Max, Dawn, Iris and Cilan. I couldn't ask for a better family and I wouldn't have it any other way." Ash was then knocked to the floor by both girls as they hugged him with tears in their eyes.

"That's so sweet Ash." May said with her arms wrapped tightly around Ash's neck. Misty had her arms around Ash's chest and tried to speak but couldn't think of the words to say. (**AN Neither can I**)

Eventually they let go of him and helped him off the floor, Ash held the letter out again. "If like May said this is meant for my family then you can read it."

"Wait a minute Ash," Misty said sensing an opportunity to help Ash and May get together, "I want to know something. If we're your family then how do you see us?"

"What do you mean Misty?"

"What sort of relation do you see us as?"

"I didn't really think about it like that," Ash replied, "What do you think?"

"Well, I can see Brock, Tracey, Max and Cilan as your brothers. Me, Dawn and Iris I can see as being like sisters to you but I don't see May as a sister."

"Well, what do you see May as?" Ash asked, May realised what Misty was about to but it was too late to stop her.

"Seeing how close you and May are I can see her being your wife." Misty said smiling wickedly, both Ash and May turned a dark red not looking at each other.

"We're just friends!" They said in unison causing them to blush even more and Misty to burst out laughing.

"You sure?" she teased.

"J..Just read the letter." Ash said thrusting it into Misty's hands, "Misty, can your phone talk to more than one person at a time?" he asked, the question caught Misty off guard but she still answered it.

"Yeah it can, one of the things about being a Gym Leader is that every couple of months there's a phone meeting between the League and the Gym Leaders. So the phones in the Gyms are conference call enabled. Why?"

"I need to make a couple of calls and I don't really want to say the same thing twice. Can I borrow your phone?"

"Sure, it's in the office. Just walk back to living area and it's the first door on the right."

"Thanks Misty." Ash said taking Pikachu from his shoulder and sitting him on the bench. "Sorry buddy I've got to do this alone." He said before turning and walking to the office. Misty turned to look at May and saw the angry look on her face.

"If you do something like that again. I will take your mallet and sho..." May started before Misty clamped a hand over her mouth.

"I did it to help you," she said, "It's got Ash thinking about you in a different way now. You should be happy." May wasn't too convinced about that and glared daggers at Misty but decided to let it go for now.

"What does the letter say?" May asked after Misty removed her hand. Both girls sat down on the bench while Ash's Pokémon gathered around them, holding the letter between them they started to read.

_Ash, _

_This is your dad, I know that you probably hate me but please finish reading this letter. _

_I left you and your mom to continue my journey when you were three years old. I didn't think that it would take me so long and I still haven't finished. As much as I want to, I couldn't and still can't return home until I've completed what I set out to do. I had hoped that we would've crossed paths in our travels but sadly that never happened._

_I'm sorry that I've missed so much of your life, all of your journey and for the amount of pain that I've caused both you and your mother. I know that words aren't enough to make up for not being there for you both but words are all I can give you, for now at least. When my journey has ended I will return to Pallet Town and hopefully I will once again have a home there with you both, I know that is a lot to ask but I hold onto that dream as it drives me to complete my journey as soon as possible._

_Now to explain the Pokéballs I've sent to you. Each year, since you began your journey, I have caught and sent you a Pokémon as a birthday present, I sent two when you turned ten to celebrate the start of your journey, two when you turned eighteen for when you officially became an adult and now that you've turned twenty one and have become a man I'm sending you three, these will be the last Pokémon I send to you. _

_I have watched you compete in every league you have entered and couldn't be more proud of you, I have even seen you compete in some contests. I haven't seen you battle with any of the Pokémon I have sent to you, I can only assume that your mother has kept hold of them and not told you that they exist, as I know you love Pokémon too much to do something like that because of what I have done. _

_Don't be angry with your mother if she has done that, as I would've done the same thing in her position, she's angry with me for not being there for you and wants you to grow strong without any help from me. I respect that decision, I have sent help for your mom over the years as well. Every month I've sent money to help with bills and anything else your mother might need it for but I know that doesn't make up for the fact that I have been an absent father and a terrible husband. That is something I have regretted every single day and will always feel guilty over._

_Hopefully you will collect the Pokémon I have sent you and treat them as well as you have treated your other Pokémon. Do not hold anything against them because I have sent them, they are not to blame for my mistakes. I know that you will make me proud whatever you decide to do. _

_I've sent this to your friend so it will get to you eventually, if I had sent it to the house your mom might have put it with the other Pokémon I have sent you. All the Pokémon I have sent are well trained, as healthy as they can be and willing to have you as a trainer, they will make you proud just as you have made me proud. Look after them and they will look after you. The Pokémon might be angry that you haven't accepted them but I thought that your mom mightn't tell you about them so I explained the situation to them so if you tell them what has happened then they will start to trust you._

_One last thing, I want both you and your mom to know that no matter how you feel about me, I will always love you both. I hope that one day both of you can forgive me as I will never be able to forgive myself for leaving you for so long. _

_With love,_

_Dad_

Tears fell onto the paper as Misty and May finished reading, they now understood why Ash had broken down the way he had. The girl's shoulders heaved as they looked at each other, without words being said they understood what they had to do next. Misty then realised what Ash had meant when he said he had to make a couple of calls, Ash's mother wouldn't be able to hide the Pokémon at the house and she wouldn't keep them in their Pokéballs for so long. She'd have gotten help from only one person, the one man in Pallet Town who could look after the Pokémon without Ash asking questions, she would have asked Professor Oak for help. May released her hold on the letter as she stood up and walked towards the office with Misty following behind her, holding the letter in her hand. May wore a look of concern for Ash while Misty's face had a look of quiet fury at how two of the people that were closer to Ash than anyone else had betrayed him. Pikachu watched them go before picking something up from the bench and following them.

* * *

A few minutes earlier

Ash walked into Misty's office and sat down in front of the phone, it took him a minute to work out how to use the conference call option. He dialled his home number and after a couple of rings his mom answered.

"Hi honey, I didn't expect to hear from you again so soon," she said cheerfully but her voice was soon full of concern when she saw the cold expression on Ash's face, "What's wrong?"

"I'll tell you in a minute. I'm calling Professor Oak as well, I don't want to repeat myself." He replied in a cold voice causing his mom to shiver slightly, he dialled the number for the lab and Tracey answered the call.

"Hey Ash, what can I help you with?" he asked.

"Hey Tracey, could you get Professor Oak for me I need to talk to him. It's important." The tone of Ash's voice worried Tracey but he did what Ash asked trying to ignore the cold feeling that now sat in his stomach.

"Er...sure Ash, just give me a minute." He said before disappearing from the screen, a minute later the Professor sat down in front of his phone.

"Ash my boy, what can I do for you. Oh hello Delia," he said when he saw that Ash's mom was included in the call.

"I wanted to talk to both of you about my Pokémon." Ash said, his voice sending a chill down the Professor's spine.

"Of course Ash, which Pokémon do you want to talk about?"

"The ones I don't know about." Ash replied, he saw a flicker of worry on their faces.

"What do you mean by that honey?" asked his mom nervously.

"I mean, the Pokémon that Dad has been sending since I started my journey." There was silence as they looked at each other, Ash's eyes bore down on both his mom and Professor Oak. Two of the people he trusted most had been keeping this a secret from him and he could barely contain the anger that he felt towards them.

"Ash, how do you know about them?" Professor Oak asked, looking ashamed of himself.

"He knows because of this letter his dad sent here for me to give him." Said an angry voice. Ash turned around and saw that Misty and May were stood in the doorway, May smiled at him. Ash could see that their eyes were slightly red and there was an anger in their eyes from finding out what had been happening.

"We thought that you could use some support." May said walking forward and putting a hand on his shoulder, Ash put a hand on top of hers and nodded his thanks. Misty stepped forward and held the letter up to the phone's camera so that Delia and Professor Oak could read it. After a few minutes Misty moved the letter away from the screen, Delia had tears running down her cheeks and Professor Oak looked even more ashamed. Having Misty and May standing by him helped Ash to calm himself and think clearly about what he wanted to say but Misty spoke first.

"How could you do something like this to Ash? Those Pokémon could have helped Ash place even higher in the Pokémon Leagues then he already has. Ash has trusted both of you all of his life and now he find out you've done this. You've betrayed him and I for one have completely changed my opinion of both of you, you are no longer the kind, generous people I've known for eleven years, right know I don't know who either of you are." Misty ranted before Ash put a hand on her shoulder and used his Aura to calm her down. Ash had been staring at Misty during her rant, shocked that she had reacted for greatly to the letter, he looked at May and saw the same type of expression on her face as on Misty's. She was angry as well but she was holding her anger back for Ash's sake. He returned his attention to the screen seeing the shocked and guilty expressions on the faces of Professor Oak and his mom. Tears rolled down Delia's face as Misty's words had hit home harder then a Snorlax using Heavy Slam.

"Ash, I think that I can speak for both your mother and myself when I say that we are sorry for keeping this from you. We didn't want to hurt you but we thought that it was for the best. The Pokémon that your father sent are here in at the lab and I'll transfer them to you trainer profile as soon as we finish talking. They're health and well looked after, they have made friends with your other Pokémon without actually knowing that they are yours." Professor Oak said. Delia nodded with the Professor's words as she was unable to speak through her tears and once he had finished.

"Ash, please forgive us. Your dad is right I only kept this from you because I was angry at him for leaving and wanted you to be strong without his help. I..," his mother sobbed, "I made sure to tell the Pokémon he sent how your journey was going and how I wanted you to get on with your life without your father's help. I told them that I would one day tell you about them, I wanted to every time you came home but I didn't know how to start I..." she couldn't talk anymore as her guilt and sadness overtook her. The hard expression on Ash's face softened and his voice was starting to return to normal.

"Mom don't cry, I do forgive you," Ash then spoke to Professor Oak as well, "I forgive both of you but I am angry about what you've done. I understand why you did it but even though I was ten, it was still my decision to make whether I wanted to use the Pokémon or not. I'm going to need some time to deal with this so I'll call you when I'm ready." Ash stopped talking when he felt a tapping on his leg, he looked down and saw Pikachu holding the parcel with the three shrunken Pokéballs in it. Ash took the Pokéballs from the parcel and scratched Pikachu's head, "Professor, what Pokémon did my dad send?"

"Just give me a minute to find out," the Professor said, turning to type on a nearby computer, "You have two Eevee's, a Rhyhorn, a Houndour, an Elekid, a Magby, a Trapinch, a Bagon, a Poochyena, aSkorupi, a Shuppet, a Shinx, and a Tynamo. That's quite a strong group." Ash was surprised by the number of Pokémon his dad had sent him and all of them could evolve into formidable battlers.

"I've got three more here Professor," Ash said, "How do I register them?"

"Point you Pokédex at one of them and scan it, a message should come up on the screen asking for a code," Ash did what the Professor said and the message came up, "you need to enter the following code 'OAK150-PTK-24' after that it will take a minute to process it and the Pokéball will be registered to you." Ash typed in the code and then repeated the process for the other two Pokéballs the centre button on each turned red. "Ash, I need you to keep that code a secret as I'm not supposed to tell it to anyone and if anyone else knows it then it will allow them to register another person's Pokémon as their own. I've given you the code Ash because I know that you wouldn't do such a thing, so please don't tell anyone." Ash nodded in understanding with Misty and May nodding as well.

"Professor, my Pokédex doesn't say what type of Pokémon are in these Pokéballs."

"That's because trainers usually know what type of Pokémon they have in their Pokéballs. This type of things rarely happens so the Pokédex doesn't show the Pokémon in the balls from a transfer or trade." a computer beeped behind the Professor, "Ah, the information on those Pokémon has just come through. Do you want me to tell you what they are?"

"No thanks Professor, I want it to be a surprise."

"If that what you want, I can't argue with that."

"Professor I'm going to send you the Pokéballs I have, can you sent me the two Eevee's please, They've waited long enough to meet me." The Professor nodded and ended the call to collect the two Eevee's. Ash turned to his mom, "Mom, I didn't mean to make you cry. I'm sorry but I'm still a little mad at both you and the Professor, just give me some time and I'll call you soon okay." Delia nodded.

"Okay honey." She said wiping her eyes.

"I'm sorry too Mrs Ketchum, I was just angry about what happened." Misty said.

"That's okay Misty, I would have done the same." Delia answered, she turned to look directly at Ash "I love you Ash."

"I love you too mom." Ash replied blushing about having to say it in front of Misty and May. Ash ended the call and sighed before smiling to himself slightly, _I've got a lot of new Pokémon and it's a good selection as well. They fit well with the Pokémon I got after trading some of my Tauros and now I've got some serious training to do, _he thought. Ash got up and walked to the pool he returned Gyarados, he then turned to Misty and May.

"Thanks for the support, I don't know if I could have done it without you." He said.

"Not a problem Ash, it's what families do. They support each other when they need to." Misty said. "Besides you'd do the same for us so it's only fair that we stand by you when you need us." May nodded in agreement.

"I'm going back to the Pokémon Centre to get the two Eevee and sent my other Pokéballs back to the lab. I'll be back soon" Ash turned to leave when May's voice stopped him.

"Ash, aren't you going to take Lucario and Gardevoir back with you?" she asked.

"No, Professor Oak told me about a loophole in the Pokéball system. The system only registers the number of Pokéballs you are carrying with Pokémon in them not whether they actually have Pokémon in them or not. That's how a few times I've been able to be in a six on six battle and Pikachu has been in the stands I've sent Pikachu's Pokéball back to the lab but kept Pikachu with me."

"I always did wonder how you managed to do that." Misty said before letting Ash continue talking.

"I did it when I was travelling on my own so I could train seven Pokémon at a time instead of six, I'm keeping Lucario and Gardevoir with me because Pikachu will need some help with the new Pokémon seeing as there's going to be five of them." Ash explained, he saw a confused look on Misty's face so explained a little further, "Pikachu is basically the team leader," the electric type jumped on to Ash's shoulder and pushed his chest out in pride, "whenever I've caught a new Pokémon Pikachu introduces them to the rest of my team and lets them know what type of person I am. Right buddy." He finished looking at the yellow mouse.

"Pikachu."

"Can you stay here with Misty buddy. I'll only be a few minutes and it'll give you and Misty time to catch up." Pikachu nodded and jumped into Misty's arms.

"Glaceon you stay here as well and keep everyone company." May said to her loyal Ice type. Glaceon nodded and stood next to Misty looking up at Pikachu.

"Hey Ash," Misty said, "I've got an idea because the Gym's closed today while my Pokémon are getting their check-ups, why don't we use the pool? It might help your new Pokémon relax and it'll be fun."

"Great idea Misty," Ash answered, "Come on May, let's go and get our stuff."

"Sure Ash." May said, as she followed Ash from the Gym and when they were out of Misty's sight May put her hand in Ash's intertwining their fingers. Ash gave her a quizzical look, "We need to look like a couple again." She explained, Ash nodded and tried to work out why he enjoyed holding May's hand so much.

"Oh, one last thing," They heard Misty shout, "tell Nurse Joy she can have the room at the Pokémon Centre back, both of you are staying here."

As they walked to the Pokémon Centre May decided to ask a question that had been bothering her since Ash made the phone call.

"Ash," she started, "When you were talking to your mom and Professor Oak about...you know..."

"My dad." Ash said understanding what May was trying to say.

"Yeah, you didn't react the same way that you have in the past."

"And you're wondering why."

"Yeah." She said softly.

"I don't really know," Ash sighed, "I mean I'm still angry that he left and hasn't called or visited over since but knowing that he's been watching me battle and sending me a Pokémon every year, well that's helped me calm down a bit." Ash paused for a minute trying to figure out what to say next, "Don't get me wrong, if I ever see him I'm going to shout and maybe knock him out. He does deserve it but it's just nice knowing that he still cares."

"Of course he cares about you Ash, everyone does. Now hurry up," she said walking a little faster pulling him along behind her, "I want to go swimming." Ash chuckled lightly and picked up his pace, he wasn't sure why but being around May was helping him cope with everything that had just happened.

Arriving at the Pokémon Centre while Ash sent his Pokéballs back to Professor Oak and retrieved the two balls holding his new Eevee May went to the room they had booked and changed into her bikini before putting her clothes over it. Ash came to the room a few minutes later, changing out of his Aura Guardian Uniform and into his swimming trunks, putting his jeans and a black t-shirt on over them. They then collected their things and gave Nurse Joy the room key back telling her that they would be staying at the Gym. Nurse Joy gave Ash Sandshrew's Pokéball saying that he was feeling better and just needed to rest before training or battling. Ash thanked her and clipped the ball onto his belt, he then shouldered his bag and went to meet May at the entrance. He quickly found May and holding hands again they left the Pokémon Centre, they slowly made their way back to the Gym enjoying the beautiful day as they went, both of them wondering what types of Pokémon Ash had been sent.

Misty was waiting for them when they returned from the Pokémon Centre. After they entered the Gym Misty locked the doors behind them, hanging a sign in the window saying that the Gym was closed for the day.

"Misty, why have you locked the doors?" May asked.

"They should have been locked before but my sisters opened them to let Arthur in and didn't close them again when they left to go shopping." She explained sighing, "I don't know what I'm going to do about them. They say that they want to help around the Gym but they never do." May put a reassuring hand on Misty's shoulder. The group then made their way to the pool seeing Pikachu floating in the pool on a water ring, Lucario meditating again and Gardevoir standing close to him, as she was still wary of Misty. "I tried talking to Gardevoir but she didn't answer and moved over to Lucario. I think she's still scared of me." Misty said sadly.

"It's okay Misty, May's been with me for a couple of weeks and Gardevoir's still a little shy around her. I'll talk to her and see what I can do." Ash said trying to cheer his friend up, Misty managed a small smile.

"Thanks Ash. Did you get your Pokémon?" she asked.

"Yeah I did, time to meet some new friends." Ash answered throwing six Pokéballs into the air. "Come on out." The six Pokéballs opened in a flash of light revealing some of Ash's newest Pokémon. Ash knew that he had a Sandshrew and two Eevees but the other three Pokémon surprised him, standing in front of him was a black and white cat-like Pokémon with a scythe-like horn on the side of his head, a tall blue humanoid Pokémon wearing a white gi and a small floating silver Pokémon with a cone shaped body, one red eye and three gold prongs on its base. The second that the two Eevee appeared they were scooped up by Misty and May, who squealed at how cute they were.

"Wow Ash, you've got an Absol and a Shiny Beldum but what's that other Pokémon?" asked Misty, still cuddling one of the Eevee. May held up her Pokédex, pointing it at the blue Pokémon while holding the other Eevee, who was rubbing against May's neck making her giggle.

_Sawk, the Karate Pokémon. Sawk seclude themselves deep in the mountain and train without sleeping in the desire to have the strongest karate chop. They tighten their belts to pump themselves up and make their punches more destructive. The sound of them training can be heard from far away._

"Sawk is a Pokémon from Unova, I battled one during the Unova League with my Leavanny. They're really strong and I've always wanted to train one." Ash said. He turned to the Pokémon, "Hi guys, my name's Ash I'm your trainer and I know that together we'll be great friends and that we can take on anything." Ash went on to explain to the Pokémon what had happened with is dad and apologised for taking so long to meet them, even though Sandshrew was only caught that morning Ash still explained everything, "Today we're just going to relax and get to know each other, so let's have some fun. Misty, May can you let Eevee go now? Please."

"Sure Ash." They said putting the normal type Pokémon on the floor, both of the Eevee then ran over to Ash and rubbed against his legs.

"You two are really friendly aren't you." He said crouching down petting them gently, causing them to purr happily. Pikachu jumped out of the pool and ran over to the new Pokémon with Lucario and Gardevoir following him. Pikachu and Gardevoir started talking to the normal types and Sandshrew, together the five of them walked towards the bench and sat down as Pikachu started to tell them about his travels with Ash. Sandshrew sat the furthest from the pool for obvious reasons.

Ash turned to look at Sawk and Absol, he bowed to Sawk who returned the gesture. Ash walked up to Absol and gently stroked his head.

"Nice to meet you Absol." He said but Absol pulled away slightly.

"Sol Absol Ab Ab Solab Abso Absol." Said the Disaster Pokémon. Ash looked at him confused, he knew that eventually he would be able to understand what Absol was saying but right now he had no idea.

"Lucario, what did he say?"

**He said that he doesn't want to have the name of his species. He has chosen a name that he wants.**

"What's the name?"

**He would like you to call him Grimm.**

"Grimm?," Ash turned to Absol, "You really want to be called Grimm? It's a little dark isn't it?" Absol gave Ash a look that said '_really?_', it was then that Ash realised what he had said and chuckled lightly. "You sure you want me to call you Grimm?" Ash asked, Absol nodded his head, "Alright then, nice to meet you Grimm." Ash stroked Grimm's head again and looked at Sawk, "Why don't you and Lucario get to know each other?" Sawk bowed again and started to talk to Lucario.

"Saw Sawk Sa Awk Sawk?" he asked, Lucario smirked and nodded.

**Master, you said that today was a day to relax and have some fun. Sawk would like to spar with me, is that acceptable?** Asked the Aura Pokémon, Ash chuckled again.

"Sure, it'll be good to see how strong Sawk is," Ash looked back at Grimm, "Grimm, why don't you go and introduce yourself to Pikachu and the others." Grimm nodded and walked over to where Pikachu was talking to the others. May had let her Pokémon out of their Pokéballs and most of them were sat around Pikachu listening to his story about how HE saved the world by guiding Ash through the dangers surrounding Shamouti Island, to collect the treasures from the nests of the legendary birds Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres.

"Hey Ash," May shouted from the pool, "are you going to swim with us or what?" Ash turned to answer her but when he saw her his mouth couldn't form the words nor could he think of any. May was sitting on one of the floating platforms wearing a light blue bikini that showed off her perfect curves, flat stomach and beautiful skin. Ash could feel his face burning from the amount of blood that rushed to it.

"May, I think you've broken him." Misty giggled. "Ash, hello Earth to Ash. Anyone there?" Misty said waving her hand in front of his face. Ash snapped out of his daze and turned away to see Misty stood next to him grinning, she was wearing a red bikini with a small yellow border.

"Yeah Misty, I'm okay. I'm just going to go and get changed." Ash said before running to the changing rooms.

"Didn't Ash change before coming here?" Misty asked.

"Yeah he did." Answered May confused by the way Ash was acting like that, though she had a small idea why which brought a small smile to her lips.

Ash lent back on the door of the changing room taking deep breaths _What's going on with me?_ He thought _I need to calm down and go back out there_. Ash quickly took his clothes off leaving him in his swimming trunks and then splashed some water on his face. He walked back to the pool putting his clothes on the bench by Gardevoir, he saw Lucario and Sawk sparring in the corner and smiled at the determination on Sawk's face as Lucario kept dodging his attacks. Ash was so busy trying to keep track of the moves that the two fighting types were using he was caught completely surprised when Misty pushed him into the pool.

"Sorry Ash, you were taking too long." She laughed while May was rolling about on one of the platforms giggling hysterically, waiting for Ash to surface. A minute passed and they started to worry when suddenly an Aura Sphere shot out of the pool sending a wave of water crashing down on Misty, causing the Gym Leader to scream in fright, drawing the attention of the Pokémon. May laughed at the now soaked Misty but soon stopped when she felt something grab her legs and drag her off the platform and under the water so fast she didn't have time to scream. She surfaced a couple of seconds later and was prepared to enact her revenge on Ash but he didn't appear, she felt something brush past her legs and kicked out but missed her target. May started to make her way to the side of the pool to get out but she was once again pulled under the water, she saw Ash's grinning face under the water an reached out to slap him but he quickly swam away. May took her chance and swam to the side of the pool not looking back to see if Ash was following her. She started to climb out of the water with Misty's help when Ash struck again, wrapping an arm around May's waist and started pulling her back into the water. _If I can't fight this then I'm not going in alone._ May thought with a wicked grin as she tightened her grip on Misty's hands pulling her into the pool as well with a scream.

Misty and May surfaced and glared at Ash, who was laughing loudly, he was so distracted that he didn't notice Misty and May moving either side of him until it was too late. They jumped out of the water, put their hands on Ash's head and dunked him under the water. Ash surfaced and saw them glaring at him again until he grinned at them, soon they were all laughing and just having fun.

After an hour they decided to get something to eat and went to the kitchen. Misty was a little hesitant when she heard that Ash was going to cook.

"May, I don't want to eat Ash's cooking, I'm too young to die." She protested.

"Misty, calm down. Ash is a great cook, even Brock said so." May said and after calling Brock to confirm it, Misty decided to give Ash a chance. While Ash was cooking Misty and May fed the Pokémon, he couldn't help himself as his eyes kept stealing glimpses of both girls. Even though he knew shouldn't look but he just couldn't help himself. Both of them had amazing bodies, May's was curvy while Misty's was slightly more athletic. Ash found that his gaze was drawn towards May more than Misty, his eyes taking in every curve, every strand of hair, every little thing that made May who she was. Once May and Misty were out of sight Ash was able to focus on his cooking, though his mind did wander back to the images of May that were now burned into his brain. _Damn, _he thought shaking his head as he boiled some water, _I'm turning into Brock._

In Pewter City Brock looked up from his lunch and turned towards Mount Moon.

"Are you okay Brock?" asked Lucy.

"Huh..." Brock looked back at his girlfriend. "Yeah, I'm fine I just... thought I heard my name." He replied taking one last look to the east before shrugging his shoulder and returning to his lunch.

"It's obvious Ash likes you." Misty said as she poured some food into a bowl for Wartortle.

"W...What do you mean?" May said flustered while making sure Ash wasn't around to hear them.

"The look on his face when he saw you in your bikini. He really liked what he saw." Misty teased.

"Misty stop, I know that you want to get me and Ash together but I told you I can't do it. I don't want him to get hurt trying to protect me. Now please drop it." May said sadly but sternly, "and don't go trying to talk to Ash about it he's still as dense as ever, if you say anything it'll probably just confuse him mess with our friendship."

"Okay May, I'll stop but you need to tell Ash at some point otherwise it will just eat you up inside and ruin your friendship that way. Take the risk and tell him, I've known Ash for a long time now he would never let anything get in the way of a friendship. No matter how awkward it might be a first." Misty said. May nodded sadly knowing that her friend was right.

"May, Misty, food's ready." Ash shouted from the kitchen.

"Coming." May said happily as she put the last of the food into a bowl for Grimm. Misty just smirked as she watched the brunette basically skip to the kitchen. _I hope Ash realises how he feels soon otherwise May's going to tear herself up folding her feelings in._ She thought solemnly before following May, wondering just how good Ash's cooking could be to have gotten Brock's seal of approval.

"Ash, this is amazing. Where did you learn to cook?" Misty asked between mouthfuls, Ash had made a simple noodle soup and used some berries to add flavour to it.

"Before I left to travel on my own my mom taught me to cook, so I wouldn't have to rely on the food from Pokémon Centres. The berry flavourings, that was just trial and error. Never put Chesto Berries in an omelette, it tastes worse than Muk smelt when I caught him." Ash said shuddering slightly from the memory, Misty laughed a little at Ash's advice. May looked between them in confusion.

"Ash, when I've been to Professor Oak's lab, Muk didn't smell that bad." She said remembering how the poison type once smothered her with a hug and though he smelled it wasn't that bad.

"That's because of the food Professor Oak gives him, it's made to reduce the amount of fumes Muk gives off. When I caught him you could smell him through the Pokéball, it was really, really bad." Ash explained, May nodded in understanding.

"So Ash, what are you going to do with all of your new Pokémon?" Misty asked.

"I'm going to ask Professor Oak to introduce them properly to my other Pokémon, to let them know that I'm the trainer to all of them and ask them to help train the new members of the team and let them know what type of trainer I am. Then I'll bring some into the team I carry with me and spend some time with them, you know train a little, have some fun just get to know them."

"Are you going to evolve them?"

"You know me Misty, if they want to evolve then they can but if they don't want to then I won't force them. I'll just have to wait and see what they want to do."

"You might be older but you're still the same Ash Ketchum who puts his Pokémon before himself." Misty said smiling, May nodded her head in agreement. They finished their lunch and returned to the pool to find most of their Pokémon playing, Lucario and Sawk were sparring again and Gardevoir sat on the bench, with Grimm napping by her, watching the other play.

"Ash, how did you catch Gardevoir?" Misty asked, a sad look flickered across Ash's face. He walked over to Gardevoir and spoke softly to her, she looked at Misty then back to Ash before nodding her head. Ash put his hand on her shoulder, silently thanking her and returned to where Misty and May stood.

"I had to ask Gardevoir if I could tell you her story. It's not a happy one and only a few people know it." He said before starting to tell Misty how he met Gardevoir. When he finished Misty had tears in her eyes and so did May, even though she'd heard it before it still made her cry.

"That's so sad, poor Gardevoir. What happened to the trainer?" Misty asked, wiping her eyes.

"Last I heard his Trainer's License was taken away. I don't know what happened to him after that." After a couple of minutes Ash dived into the pool to swim, while Misty and May sat on the side of the pool with their feet in the water talking. Misty's sisters came back from shopping about an hour later and started to drool when they saw Ash on the diving board in his swimming trunks, they disappeared for a minute before re-appearing wearing bikinis and flaunting their bodies at Ash. Ash dove under the water trying to get away from them but it was no use, even though they spent most of their time on clothes and make up they were still strong swimmers and soon cornered him at the bottom of the pool. The hungry look in their eyes made Ash's life flash before his eyes, he settled into a fighting stance ready to defend himself if necessary. He was debating whether to form an Aura Sphere, though he didn't want them to know about his Aura abilities, when a Wartortle swam in front of him and used Aqua Tail to push Misty's sisters away from him. Ash nodded his thanks and swam to the surface, quickly exiting the pool.

"Good job Wartortle." Ash looked in the direction of the voice and saw May kneeling in front of Wartortle.

"May, did you send Wartortle to help me?" he asked.

"Sure did. I can't have other girls trying to steal my boyfriend can I." She said winking at Ash, making him blush. Misty's sisters surfaced from the pool spluttering and glared at May.

"Like, what's the big idea?" Daisy asked angrily.

"Like, yeah." Agreed Lily and Violet.

"You were throwing yourselves at MY boyfriend and you think I'm going to let it happen? Dream on." May said standing up and putting her hands on her hips.

"Your boyfriend? He's Misty's and after all sisters share." Daisy replied looking at Ash with a predatory glint in her eyes as Lily and Violet did the same, nodding in agreement moving forward. Ash took an involuntary step backwards and saw that Lucario and Gardevoir were stood behind him, just in case.

"Sorry guys," Misty said, "He isn't my boyfriend and since when have you shared anything with me?"

"That's not the point?" Lily answered.

"I lied to you earlier," Ash said, "My name's not Aaron. I'm Ash Ketchum." Misty's sisters looked at him in shock. _This is the kid that Misty travelled with. Damn, he's grown up well._ They thought still looking over Ash's body with desire burning in their eyes, Ash walked closer to May and put his arm around her shoulders, Lucario and Gardevoir following close behind.

"May is my girlfriend and I couldn't be happier." He said.

"Prove it." said Lily, "If she's your girlfriend, kiss her." Ash and May looked at Lily in shock before turning to face each other blushing furiously. They knew that if they wanted to keep the charade going then they had to kiss, Misty's sisters wouldn't be able to keep their mouths shut and then Drew would start harassing May again. Even though May wanted to kiss Ash the thought of doing it in front of Misty and her sisters scared her.

Misty was also in shock at what Lily had said, so much so that she wasn't able to try and defend her friends and help them from the embarrassing situation.

Slowly inched their faces closer to each other Ash and May closed their eyes, Misty looked on in amazement without knowing it Lily was actually going to get Ash and May together. _If they kiss then Ash might realises his feelings for May and she might get over her fear of Ash getting hurt. _she thought. Ash and May were seconds away from having their lips connect.

"Well now I've seen everything, who'd have thought that Ashy-boy would get a girlfriend." Said a male voice, Ash flinched when he heard the voice. He straighten up quickly and turned to face the entrance of the Gym seeing the familiar figure of his old rival standing there smirking. May pulled away flustered and slightly annoyed by the interruption taking a few steps away from Ash.

"Hey Gary. What are you doing here?" Ash asked while Misty and May covered themselves with their towels, not liking the fact that Gary was seeing them wearing their bikinis. Misty's sisters having performed in their bikinis for a few years weren't bothered about being seen like that.

"Hey girls, there's no need to cover up. If it will make you feel better I'll get into my swimming trunks." Gary said ignoring Ash and looking between the gathered women.

"Gary, if you even try to do that Pikachu will blast you out of the building before you can blink." Ash retorted, Pikachu's cheeks arced electricity to emphasize Ash's threat.

"How did you get in here anyway?" asked Misty.

"The doors were open." He replied, Misty looked at her sisters.

"You three know that the Gym's doors are supposed to be closed today because all the Pokémon have gone for their check-ups." She said.

"Like sorry Misty, we forgot." Lily answered. Misty sighed and shook her head in defeat.

"Who, might I ask is this vision of beauty?" Gary asked approaching May. Ash move in front of May instinctively, knowing that as Gary had gotten older he had taken a slightly 'Brock' approach towards good looking women. May was both happy and surprised by Ash's reaction and took a small step to the right so that she was completely behind Ash and Gary couldn't see her.

"This is May, MY GIRLFRIEND." Ash hissed as Gary tried to work his way around the young Aura Guardian, to get to May. Hearing the tone of Ash's voice Gary back away then turned his gaze to Misty, he slowly walked towards her.

"Misty, might I say that you..." Gary started before he was interrupted.

"No, you can't say anything except telling us why you're here." Misty said folding her arms over her chest, keeping a tight hold of her towel. "and stay were you are. I don't want you coming any closer while I'm like this." Gary slowed down even further but kept moving towards Misty.

"I'd do what she says Gary, she still has her mallet." Ash said causing Gary to stop in his tracks, Ash had told him about the number of beatings he had had from Misty and her mallet with one rule above all else Never Anger Misty.

"I'm here to ask for your help. I'm doing some research on how Water type Pokémon evolve and Grandpa said that apart from Loreli you're the best person to ask. Loreli is somewhere in the Orange Islands doing her own research so she won't be able to help me with mine, I was hoping that you would." Gary said with sigh. Misty was silent as she thought about Gary's request, after a minute she nodded.

"I'll help you but come back tomorrow, I'm spending today catching up with Ash and my Pokémon are at the Pokémon Centre." Gary nodded in agreement and turned to leave when he stopped and turned back to look at Ash, a grin plastered across his face.

"Hey Ash, wanna battle?" he said staring directly into Ash's eyes, "It's been a while since we last battled and I want to see how far your Pokémon have grown." Gary looked at the assembled Pokémon, "Whose Pokémon are those? There's too many for just you and May."

"Professor Oak's loophole." Ash said and Gary nodded in understanding, "I sent Pikachu's, Lucario's and Gardevoir's Pokéballs to Professor Oak's lab and he sent me some of my Pokémon."

"How did you get them?" Gary asked, Ash's face dropped slightly and he didn't answer. May put a hand on Ash's shoulder and looked at Gary.

"Ask your Grandfather. He knows." She said, Gary tried to get a better answer from Ash and May but they wouldn't say anything. So Gary tried something else to try and cheer Ash up. "So how about that battle, or are you scared of losing to me again?" Ash looked at Gary with a defiant fire burning in his eyes.

"What do you mean again? The last five times we battled I won." Ash retorted smiling slightly.

"Yeah well that was over a year ago, I'm stronger now and I'll beat you easily."

"That's what you think. 3 on 3 okay with you?"

"Sure, if you want to lose that quickly."

"Misty can we use the Gym?" Ash asked. Misty smiled with a wicked glint in her eyes.

"No problem Ash. Teach him a lesson he'll never forget."

"Will do Misty," Ash said smiling before turning to his old rival, "You ready?"

"Yeah, let's do this."

Gary and Ash stood at either end of the Gym's battlefield, Misty stood in the middle on the referee's podium. May and Misty's sisters sat on the bleachers to watch the battle. Ash's newest Pokémon sat with them, Ash wanted them to see how strong they would become with him and how they would become a part of his family. Pikachu was in his usual position on Ash's shoulder, Lucario and Gardevoir stood behind him waiting to be called into battle.

"This is a battle between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and some idiot also from Pallet Town." Everyone except for Gary burst out laughing.

"HEY!" shouted Gary as everybody laughed, When Misty stopped laughing she said.

"Okay fine, a battle between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and Gary Oak also from Pallet Town. Trainers are you ready," both Gary and Ash nodded, "choose your first Pokémon."

"Let's go Umbreon." Gary said throwing a Pokéball into the air. The ball snapped open and released a flash of white light, once the light died down a four legged Pokémon stood on one of the floating platforms. He was covered head to tail in black fur with yellow rings on his legs, ears, tail and forehead. He had full red eyes and black pupils, Umbreon settled into a battling stance ready for whatever would come his way.

"Pikachu, I Choose You." Ash said as Pikachu leapt from his shoulder landing on the nearest platform, Ash knew that Pikachu would want to battle Umbreon there was a rivalry between them since their first battle.

"Let the battle begin." Misty said.

"Gary, you can have the first move." Ash shouted across the pool.

"Umbreon use Shadow Ball." A ball of dark energy formed in front of the Dark type's open mouth and shot towards Pikachu.

"Pikachu, send it back. Thunder Shadow." Everyone looked at Ash in confusion at what he had said but he just smiled and kept his eyes on the battle. Pikachu charged up his electricity and launched a Thunderbolt at the Shadow Ball. The two attacks fused together creating a ball of dark yellow energy with electricity crackling around it, Pikachu's electricity pushed the attack back at Umbreon.

"Umbreon dodge it." Gary shouted, Umbreon didn't need telling twice as he dove out of the way of the combined attack which crashed into the platform where he had been stood seconds before. While the attack hadn't hit Umbreon it had grazed his side giving him a slight burn and a partial paralysis, not enough to fully stop him but just enough to slow him down.

"What did Ash just do?" asked Misty in wonder.

"Ash used one of his combination attacks." May answered, "Ash told me that during his training he started to teach his Pokémon to use their moves together and you've just seen the results of one of them. Ash taught me a few to help me in my Contests"

"That's amazing."

"If you think that's good wait till you see one of his Legends combinations." May laughed.

"What do you mean by Legends?"

"You'll just have to wait and see. I've only seen one and that was at the Contest in Pewter City."

"He could like teach us stuff for our underwater ballets." Violet said, "We could like teach him stuff as well." she continued with a hunger in her voice.

"He's not helping you with anything and you're not going to teach him. Are we clear?" May said threateningly, a fiery glint in her eyes.

"Alright we get it, no need to be so like mean." Daisy replied.

"Pikachu, Agility." Ash called out as Pikachu moved at blinding speed to avoid a barrage of Shadow Balls. The battle had raged while the girls had been talking and both Pikachu and Umbreon were getting tired. Both had taken some damage, Umbreon had taken more than Pikachu but was still willing to fight to the end. "Use Iron Tail on the water full power, hit it with the side of your tail not the edge." Pikachu nodded and did as Ash said. A metallic sheen covered Pikachu's tail as he slammed it onto the water creating a wave that rocked the platform Umbreon was standing on, knocking the Dark type into the water.

"Umbreon quick get out of the water." Gary cried knowing what was about to come, Umbreon swam as quickly as he could but it was too late.

"Pikachu, put our tail on the water and use Thunderbolt." Pikachu put on a slightly evil smile and placed the tip of his tail in the water before releasing his electricity. It coursed through the water and shocked Umbreon as the pool exploded causing the water to fly into the air before crashing down again. The sudden downpour had soaked Gary to the bone and Umbreon had been lifted from the water and fell onto one of the platforms, knocked out.

"Umbreon is unable to battle, Pikachu wins. Gary send out your next Pokémon." Misty said still slightly in shock of how much more powerful Ash was as a battler and as a strategist, thinking up a list of possible move combinations and using Iron Tail to knock Umbreon into the water.

"Umbreon return," Gary said holding up a Pokéball, "Thank you, you did great." Gary attached the ball back on his belt and grabbed another one, "Go Electivire".

"Pikachu return." Ash said Pikachu looked back at Ash wanting to know why he was being taken out of the battle, Ash just nodded his head towards Lucario, Pikachu smirked before nodding and jumped out of the pool. He ran over to May and sat on her lap to watch the rest of the battle, Glaceon jumped on to the seat next to May and sat as close to Pikachu as she could. May started to stroke both of them with a smile on her lips. "Lucario, it's your turn now." Ash said causing the Aura Pokémon to nod and leap onto the battlefield.

"The second battle is between Electivire and Lucario. Begin!" Misty announced eagerly waiting to coming battle.

"Electivitre put your tails in the water. Absorb the electricity." Gary said and Electivire did just that, "Now use Fire Punch." Electivire ran towards Lucario at high speed.

"Lucario dodge with Extremespeed." Ash shouted as the attack barely missed, _Motor Drive must have been activated by the electricity in the water, _Ash thought as he watched Lucario and Electivire blurring around the battlefield, _I need to be careful here._ "Lucario use Extreme Rush." Lucario formed an Aura staff. Which was shaped like a bone, between his paws, then spun around and began to launch a blistering assault on Electivire forcing the electric type to break off his pursuit and retreat to a safe distance.

"Electivire use Thunder." Gary called. Electivire collected his energy and fired a powerful blast of electricity at Lucario.

"Lucario deflect it with Bone Rush." Lucario lifted his staff and started to spin it faster and faster until it looked like a solid shield. The Thunder attack hit the Bone Rush and after a few seconds of fighting it was deflected towards one of the floating platforms blasting a hole in the centre of it. "Sorry Misty." Ash said knowing that she would be angry about the damage. "Lucario use Aura Sphere." The Bone Rush shrank down into a small ball of energy and Lucario poured more power into it until it was the size of a basketball. He then threw it at Electivire, hitting the electric type in the chest and sending him to the ground, "Now finish with Dragon Pulse." Lucario formed an orb of turquoise energy and threw it towards Electivire.

"Quick Electivire use Protect." The electric type crossed his arms in front of himself and a dome of translucent green energy formed around him. The Dragon Pulse hit the dome forcing Electivire back slightly but didn't penetrate the dome. "Now use Flamethrower." Electivire opened his mouth and blew out a blast of flames directly towards Lucario.

"Use Aura Sphere on the water." Ash said calmly, Lucario quickly focused some of his energy into a ball and threw it at the water. The Aura Sphere exploded on impact with the pool sending a wall of water into the air stopping the flames from hitting Lucario and creating a barrier of steam blocking the view of the opposing Pokémon.

"Electivire use Iron Tail." Gary said just before Electivire burst out of the steam charging at Lucario.

"Lucario, defend with Bone Rush." Ash said and Lucario once more formed the ground type attack and ran to meet the electric type Pokémon. The two powerful Pokémon then started duel back and forth they battled trying to gain some sort of advantage over the other, until Lucario slipped on a puddle of water and fell onto the platform.

"Electivire grab him with your tails and use Thunder." Gary shouted. Electivire complied with his trainers wishes and wrapped his tails around Lucario's body, pinning his arms to his sides. Ash looked on in slight panic until he remembered a trick that he and Lucario had been practicing, it hadn't been perfected yet but it needed to be done.

"Lucario use Close Protect!" he shouted as Electivire released his attack, the Thunder was almost blinding causing everyone to shield their eyes. When the light died down everyone looked to the battlefield wanting to know what had happened to Lucario. Electivire stood panting heavily still holding Lucario in his tails but something was different, Lucario was surrounded by a translucent green energy fitting closely to his body. "YES!" Ash cried, "You did it, great job Lucario. Now let's finish this battle." Ash smiled wickedly, "Expand the field." Lucario nodded and slowly the energy surrounding him moved outwards pushing against Electivire's tails causing the electric type to let go, "Now Aura Sphere." Lucario dropped the Protect and charged the Aura attack, once fully charged Lucario threw it at Electivire hitting him in the face. "Let's end this, use Dark Pulse." Lucario nodded and launched the dark type attack. The stream of dark rings slammed into Electivire, sending him across the pool and crashing down into the water in front of Gary.

When Electivire surfaced from the water his eyes were replaced by swirls.

"Electivire is unable to battle, Lucario is the winner." Misty said with everyone cheering as Lucario jumped from the pool next to Ash.

"Well done my friend." He said putting his hand on Lucario's shoulder, the Aura Pokémon nodded in acknowledgement before walking over to where May sat and stood nearby.

"What did Lucario just do?" asked Daisy. Lily and Violet just shrugged their shoulders.

"Lucario used Protect," Ash said having heard the question, "We've been trying to find a way of making it stronger and Lucario suggested making the area protected smaller. I asked Professor Oak about it and he said that in theory it could work, we've been practicing it for about a year and now Lucario's perfected it." Gary saw that Misty's sisters were still having trouble understanding so he tried to explain.

"By having Protect work on a smaller area but keeping it the same strength means that it would be able to withstand more attacks then a normal Protect." He could still see the blank looks on their faces so tried again, "Think of it like this, Protect is like a bubble once an attack hits it it'll break right," Misty's sisters nodded following the idea so far, "now it the bubble is smaller but keeps the same amount of water then the walls would get thicker meaning that you'll either have to attack it harder or attack it more to break it. It's like that but Lucario keep the walls close to his body which gives him maximum protection with the minimal waste of energy. Get it?"

"Like a little," Violet said, "but can't Ash teach us about it...in private?"

"NO!" yelled Misty and May. Ash stayed by the pool and shouted over to Gary.

"Hey Gary, you want to finish the battle?"

"You're going down Ashy-Boy," Gary retorted, "Go Blastoise." He shouted sending his starter on to the battlefield. Ash smirked, he had a feeling that Blastoise would be in the battle, he turned to Gardevoir.

"Gardevoir will you battle with me?" The Psychic type answered by teleporting on to a floating platform.

"Ash," shouted Misty, "can you show us one of your Legend attacks?" Gary looked slightly worried hearing 'Legend attacks'.

"Yeah Ash, please." Added May giving him her puppy dog eyes for good measure.

"Okay, if you want." He answered with a smile causing May to blush.

"Ash, what do they mean by 'Legend attacks'?" Gary asked nervously.

"You'll find out." Ash replied laughing.

"This third battle is between Blastoise and Gardevoir. Begin." Misty said eagerly awaiting the Legend attack that Ash had promised.

"Blastoise use Bubblebeam." Gary said, Blastoise positioned his cannons towards Gardevoir and fired a concentrated beam of bubbles at her.

"Gardevoir block them with Magical Leaf." Ash called out and with a graceful twirl, a multitude of multicoloured leaves surrounded Gardevoir before they flew towards the water type piercing their way through the Bubblebeam and continuing on to Blastoise.

"Blastoise quick, Withdraw and use Iron Defence!" Blastoise stopped firing the Bubblebeam and brought his arms, legs, cannons and head into his shell before taking on a metallic sheen. Magical Leaf impacted Blastoise's shell and did a bit of damage. "Now use Flash Cannon" Blastoise came out of his shell and fired a beam of silver energy at Gardevoir.

"Teleport and Double Team to dodge." Ash said quickly as the beam of energy drew closer and closer to Gardevoir. The psychic type disappeared in a flash of light and reappeared on a different platform before using Double Team and Teleport to make her copies appear and disappear at random around the battlefield. Gary looked at the numerous Gardevoir trying to figure out which was the real one but he was unable to so he decided to try and take them all down at the same time.

"Blastoise Withdraw and use Hydro Pump while in your shell." Blastoise once again disappeared inside his shell and seconds later water burst out and the shell started to spin. The water blew through the copies and found the real Gardevoir, she took the full brunt of the attack and was knocked into the pool. "Now use Bite." Blastoise came out of his shell, dove into the water quickly getting close to the struggling psychic type and bit into Gardevoir's arm.

"Gardevoir!" Ash cried, staring at the part of the pool where Gardevoir had fallen in. The water was strangely calm for a minute before it started to glow light blue and churn wildly, the water blasted upwards falling over everyone and revealing Gardevoir floating in the air with Blastoise still biting down on her arm. Her eyes glowing blue with the same light surrounding her body, this wasn't the Gardevoir that May and Misty had met, the one who wore a shy and kind expression. This Gardevoir had an expression of rage and gave off a feeling that made everyone afraid.

"You've done it now Gary, Gardevoir's angry." Ash said sounding slightly worried, "Gardevoir's had a bad past and when she get angry, well it gets bad. She'll stay calm most of the time but every now and again this happens." Ash shifted his attention from his rival to Gardevoir, "Gardevoir calm down, please!" he pleaded his Aura glowing slightly as he tried to get through to her.

Gardevoir used Psychic to open Blastoise's mouth quickly following with her uniquely coloured Focus Blast sending the water type hurlting across the gym and crashing into the wall behind Gary. Everyone looked on in horror at the sight of Blastoise being slightly embedded in the wall.

"Gardevoir please listen to me, you're safe I'm right here there's no need to be angry or afraid," Ash begged, "I made you a promise that I wouldn't let anyone hurt you and I meant that but you need to calm down and listen to me."Ash's Aura was clearly visible now, shining around him as he spoke but only May and his Pokémon noticed Gary, Misty and her sisters were staring at Gardevoir in amazement and fear. Gardevoir turned to look at Ash and saw his beseeching eyes, she slowly floated towards him getting closer to the ground at the same time until she was stood directly in front of him. "Gardevoir please calm down." Ash said softly putting a hand on her shoulder. The glow surrounding her body slowly faded as she moved closer to Ash and fell forward slightly, Ash instinctively reach out and grabbed her pulling her into a comforting hug. After a few seconds Ash released Gardevoir and looked at her to see an ashamed look on her face.

"It's okay Gardevoir, I know you didn't mean to do it." Ash looked at Gary, "Gary let's stop the match, I don't want Gardevoir to battle now she's a little shaken up." Gary nodded and was about to recall Blastoise when Gardevoir teleported back on to one of the platforms and used Heal Pulse on herself then used it again on Blastoise.

"I think Gardevoir wants to finish the battle." Gary said, Ash looked at his Pokémon.

"Do you want to carry on?" Gardevoir nodded, "You sure?" Ash asked. Gardevoir nodded again and gave Ash a reassuring look. "Alright then let finish this." Ash was about to call out to Gardevoir when he felt something tap his leg, he looked down and saw Pikachu with Ash's hat in his mouth. Ash smiled and knew what Pikachu was doing, "It's been awhile since I did that but why not." Ash crouched down and took his hat giving Pikachu a quick scratch behind the ear.

"Let's end this." Ash said confidently as he put his hat on, grabbed the peak and turned it round so the peak was now over his back. Misty grinned and Gary started to look even more worried than he had before. It had been years since Ash had turned his hat around during a battle but it always proved to be when he battled his hardest. Ash was smiling manically and had an eager fire burning in his eyes. "Gary, get ready to lose."

"Blastoise use Hydro Pump." Gary called out quickly wanting to win the battle. Both of Blastoise's cannons fired a stream of water at Gardevoir, the streams combining into one giant stream. Gardevoir held her ground waiting for Ash's command.

"Split it with Psychic." Ash shouted, Gardevoir eyes glowed light blue and she waved her hand in front of the water that was quickly approaching her. Psychic easily divided the Hydro Pump and lifted the two streams into the air, "Now send if back!" Ash said excitedly. Gardevoir sent the powerful water attack back to Blastoise with a flick of her wrist, the water collided with Blastoise's stomach knocking him backwards. Gary gritted his teeth knowing that there was one move that Blastoise had that could turn the battle around but it was risky.

"Blastose use Hydro Cannon." Blastoise repositioned his cannons and fired another blast of water at Gardevoir but this time it was even more powerful and Blastoise had just started to become surrounded with a dark blue Aura. Torrent had activated.

"Teleport." Ash cried as Hydro Cannon nearly hit Gardevoir with her teleporting out of the way in the nick of time. She reappeared on a platform close to the panting Blastiose who couldn't move after such a powerful attack. "This battle is finished," Ash said, "Gardevoir Thunder Legend." Gardevoir nodded and launched a powerful Thunderbolt into the air before taking hold of it with Psychic and shaping it into the form of the Legendary Bird of Thunder. Everyone looked on in awe of what Gardevoir had created and wondered how Ash had come up with the idea, Gardevoir made her creation circle Blastoise a couple of times before having the Zapdos shaped attack slam into the Turtle Pokémon.

Blastoise was hit by both the Psychic and Thunderbolt attacks, the combined damage was more than he could take as he toppled over and swirls appeared in his eyes.

"Blastoise is unable to battle, Gardevior wins which means that the winner of the match is Ash."

Ash's new Pokémon looked at him in awe, they had been told my Pikachu how great a trainer Ash was but seeing him battle in real life made them proud to be a part of his team. They were also taken back by the connection he had with his Pokémon letting them rest if they needed to and willing to lose a battle just to keep them from getting hurt further, they all ran over to Ash as he celebrated his victory meeting him by the podium Misty had been standing on. Sandshrew and the two Eevee jumped onto him and Beldum rubbed up against his leg while Grimm and Sawk stood close by, respect visible in their eyes.

May smiled seeing Ash with his Pokémon, at how close they were even though they had only just met and at how Ash was treating them all with the same level of love and respect that he had for his other Pokémon.

"I hope you ready Misty." She said looking at the Gym Leader.

"What do you mean May?" Misty asked.

"Ash is here for a Gym Battle remember." May replied, her smile getting bigger and a chuckle in her voice. Misty paled slightly as she turned to look at Ash's Pokémon again, _Gardevoir and Lucario are Pokémon he's gotten in the last 3 years and their strength is amazing, so just how strong will his older Pokémon be?_ She thought but remembered that she wouldn't have to battle Pikachu, he'd never fought her in an official battle, only training matches..

Gary walked over to Ash after returning Blastoise and thanking him for his hard work. Ash saw his rival coming and dug himself out of the pile of Pokémon, standing up he felt Pikachu jump on to his shoulder.

"Hey Ash, great battle but I'm still ahead 15 to 12." Gary teased.

"Yeah, you are but I'm catching up." Ash retorted smiling.

"So what's going on with you and May?"

"Wh-What do you mean?" Ash stuttered, glancing over to see that May was talking to Misty and her sisters.

"Come on you obviously like her and you even said that she's your girlfriend but I've known you all my life Ash I know something's going on and you two aren't really a couple even though you want to be. So what's going on?"

"May's just a friend." Ash said before quickly explaining the situation between May and Drew, leaving out what nearly happened in Rota after the banquet.

"You do know there's an obvious reason she said your name instead of someone else's right?" Gary said only to receive a blank stare in reply, "Never mind you'll figure it out eventually."

"Why does everyone keep saying that and can't you tell me?" Ash asked.

"Because you need to work it out yourself, otherwise you won't understand."

Ash was about to ask Gary what he meant by that when he was tackled to the group and rolled into the pool. Ash broke the surface of the water gasping for air while looking for his attacker, he then saw May surface next to him and tackle him again.

"Ash that was amazing. Can you teach me how to do those Legend attacks for my contests. Please, please, please, please, please, please, please." She said while looking into his eyes. Ash wasn't able to respond as he was transfixed by how May looked. Her hair was wet, a few strands were sticking to her face the rest fell straight down her back, her eyes were shimmering and her cheeks held a slight blush.

To Ash she looked absolutely beautiful, _Why am I thinking like this? May is my friend I can't see her like this but I can't help it I need to sort my head out, I have to or I'll do something to hurt her. _ Ash shook his head to try and clear his thoughts.

"Sure May I'll help you with the Legend attacks but you can't tell anyone else how there done okay?" May squealed in excitement and jumped onto Ash again sending them underwater for the second time. When they surfaced again May saw that Misty's sisters were glaring daggers at her which made May decided to annoy them further. She swam a little closer to Ash and kissed him on the cheek before moving to the side of the pool and climbing out, after the kiss Ash just floated there and watched as May climbed out of the pool taking in each and every curve of her body.

"Hey Ash!" Misty shouted.

"Y-Yeah Misty?" Ash asked as he snapped out of his daze.

"You getting out of the pool or what? We're getting hungry." She laughed.

"I'm getting out now, I didn't mean to get back in but sometimes things happen." Ash replied looking over to May smirking as he climbed out of the pool seeing that when May had tackled him his hat had fallen off his head and on to Pikachu's.

"Sorry Ash, I got a little excited when Misty said that if I asked you about teaching me the Legend attacks that you might do it." May apologized.

"That's okay May, I know you didn't meant to do it but there's one thing I need to do before I start cooking." Ash said as he stood in front of May.

"What's that?" she asked blushing slightly at how close Ash was to her, trying desperately not to stare at his bare chest. Ash smiled.

"This!" Ash said loudly as he picked May up bridal style and threw her in the pool, "Okay now I'll cook dinner." He said as he ran off to the kitchen, with an angry May in pursuit. Misty sighed following them with Gary and her sisters behind her.

After eating the meal that Ash made and changing back into their normal clothes, Gary went back to the Pokémon Centre to get some sleep and Misty's sisters went out clubbing. May, Misty and Ash spent a few hours talking before calling it a night, because of the way Misty's sisters were acting towards him Ash decided to lock the door.

"Night May, night Misty. See you in the morning." Ash said.

"Night Ash." They replied.

"Misty," Ash said before he went to his room, "hope you're ready for our battle tomorrow."

"I hope you're ready as well." She retorted. They stood there glaring at each other before starting to laugh.

"Good luck tomorrow Misty."

"Same to you Ash."

Misty walked into her room and closed the door leaving Ash and May standing in to corridor, Ash turned to enter his room when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned round and May gave him a quick peck on the cheek, Ash was about to ask why when May started talking.

"I'm sorry for knocking you into the water after your battle and thank you again for agreeing to teach me how to use those Legend moves. They'll really help in my contests." She said looking at the ground hiding her blush before walking into her room and closing the door leaving Ash alone. May had no idea what possessed her to kiss Ash's cheek, she knew that she couldn't tell him but she couldn't control herself. May leaned against the door of her room after closing it and sighed, _I need to try and stop doing that when we're alone. I only need to do it if I see anyone who might talk to Drew._ May shook her head and decided to get changed for bed.

Ash shook his head to clear it and walked into his room knowing that he'd have trouble sleeping tonight and he still needed to pick his team for his battle with Misty. He had taken Pikachu, Lucario and Gardevoir to the Pokémon Centre after the meal and Nurse Joy healed them, he had also sent Sawk, Grimm and Beldum to Professor Oak so they could meet his other Pokémon and retrieved his empty Pokéballs. Pikachu was curled up on a pillow, Lucario was leaning against the wall and Gardevoir lay on the floor with a pillow and blanket that Misty had provided. Ash lay on the bed thinking about his team for the Gym battle, _If only Pikachu would battle for me_ he thought when an idea started to form, a wicked smile slowly appeared on Ash's lips.

He had a plan.

* * *

**That's it for this chapter. Please let me know what you think of the letter and of Ash's new Pokémon.**

**That's all I have for now. If you have any questions or anything you want to say, you know the drill.**

**Put it in a review or send me a PM.**

**Until next time**

**Basic Trainer.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Here's Chapter 11. Got this written a lot faster then I thought I would.**

**I know I said that I was going to start putting the current Pokémon teams at the start and end of each chapter but last time something came up while I was uploading the chapter and had to cut my notes short.**

**Anyway current teams are**

**Ash:- Pikachu, Lucario, Gardevoir and Sandshrew**

**May:- Glaceon, Blaziken, Munchlax, Spoink, Flaffy and Wartortle.**

**A quick thank you to JLgods01 for giving me the idea to try writing a Pokespeech section. Please tell me what you think about it, if it comes across well then I'll try and put more in later chapters.**

* * *

Chapter 11

Battling the Tide

Ash yawned as he opened his eyes to see the ceiling of the bedroom, he had slept quite well except for a few interruptions from Misty's sisters trying to get him to open his door for them, Ash wasn't sure but he thought that Lily sounded drunk when she had come knocking at his door asking him to help her with the zip on her dress. They had stopped when Pikachu fired a Thunderbolt at the door knob because they had woken him up from a dream he was having about a mountain of ketchup after that they hadn't come back. Ash got out of bed and started to stretch, Pikachu was still asleep on the pillow, Lucario was still leaning against the wall sleeping and Gardevoir was curled up on the floor breathing lightly in her sleep. Ash carefully and quietly got dressed into his swimming trunks and grabbed a towel he made his way out of the room, leaving Sandshrew's Pokéball with his other things, passing a clock he saw it was 5:30am and made his way to the pool making sure not to wake anyone. Ash hoped exercising would help him deal with the aftermath of reading the letter, he was still bothered by what his mom and Professor Oak had done, though he did understand why they did it and he was still trying to figure out how he felt about his dad now knowing that he'd sent him a new Pokémon for his birthday since he started his journey. Ash shook his head to clear his thoughts and focused on what type of exercises he would do today.

Ash dropped his towel onto a bench and stretched again before doing some press ups and slipping into the warm water of the pool, he took a deep breath and dove under the surface. He swam from one end of the pool to the other and part way back while underwater before he had to surface to take another breath, Ash kept swimming for another hour or so until he decided to get out and go through his usual exercises. After half an hour Ash decided to do a little training with Sandshrew so he went back to his room to get the Pokéball, he retrieved the ball and found that Lucario had just woken up as well. Lucario followed Ash back to the pool and started going through his own morning exercises and meditation, Ash let Sandshrew out of his Pokéball and knelt down his the ground type's level.

"Hey Sandshrew, want to do some training?" he asked, Sandshrew nodded in agreement, "Right I have a few different types of training methods but right now I just want to work on your general training, you know speed, strength stuff like that. So can you run from one end of the pool to the other and back as quickly as you can until you start to feel tired for me?" Sandshrew nodded again, the ground type then turned around, dropped onto all fours and started running to the other end of the pool. Ash was silently timing the small mouse just to see how fast he was to start with, as Sandshrew came back Ash had the time at just over a minute and a half. Ash was about to tell Sandshrew did a good job and ask him to do it again but he didn't get the chance, Sandshrew didn't stop running he just turned quickly in front of Ash and made his way back down the pool. Ash chuckled lightly _He really wants to train _he thought.

"Sandshrew, be careful you don't slip otherwise you might fall into the pool." Ash said, he saw the ground type nod slightly as he ran. Ash smiled knowing that Sandshrew would fit in well with his other Pokémon from the way he was training. Ash moved out of Sandshrew's way and started going through his fighting skills moving smoothly from one move to the other, while fighting imaginary opponents. Half an hour later Ash saw that Sandshrew was tired but still running as fast as he could, Ash stopped his exercise and walked back to the ground type.

"Sandshrew take a break, if you keep going you'll only hurt yourself." He said, Sandshrew made one last run which Ash timed with Sandshrew finishing in just over a minute, "You've done great Sandshrew, you're a bit faster than you were when you started I'm proud of you." Ash said smiling at the tired Pokémon, Sandshrew jumped into Ash arms smiling at the praise he was getting.

"Sandshrew Sand Sand Shrewsand." He said happily.

"You take a nice rest Sandshrew and get your strength back we'll work on you power later okay?" Ash asked, Sandshrew nodded and dropped to the floor before making his way over to the bench Ash had put his towel on and sat next to it. Ash walked over to Lucario and sat next to his to meditate for a bit, after about twenty minutes Ash and Lucario stood up and started working with their Aura. The next few hours consisted of Ash and Lucario helping Sandshrew with his exercises, having him improve his agility and evasiveness by dodging weak Aura Spheres, increasing his strength by having him lift various weights around the pool and slowly increasing his resistance to water by gently splashing water on him. Ash was floating in the pool watching Lucario and Sandshrew go through a round of light sparring when he saw Misty walking towards the pool, wearing a white one piece swimsuit. (**AN Like she does in the games**)

"Hey Misty." He called out.

"Ash? What are you doing up so early?" she replied.

"I always get up early now to train a little and do some exercises. What time is it?"

"A little after 10. How long have you been up?"

"I got out here about 5:30. Is anyone else up yet?"

"May's getting changed and my sisters don't usually get up for at least another hour."

"Hey Misty, want to see who's faster?" Ash asked grinning. Misty smiled back.

"Get ready to lose Ash." She retorted as she dove into the pool.

"I'll be the judge." Came a feminine voice. Ash and Misty turned to see May walking towards the pool wearing her normal clothes minus her bandana which let her hair cascade down her back, they saw that Pikachu, Gardevoir and Glaceon were walking behind her. The Pokémon went and sat by the bench as Sandshrew and Lucario stopped sparring and joined them, May walked up to the pool, but just to be sure, she stayed out of arms reach.

"This will be a race from one end of the pool to the other and back. Loser makes breakfast agreed?" Ash and Misty nodded, "In that case, swimmers to your places." Ash and Misty swam to the end of the pool putting a hand on the edge. "Ready," Ash flexed his arm ready to push off the side of the pool, "Set," Misty shifted one of her feet to the wall to do the same, "GO!" May shouted as she moved away from the pool. Ash and Misty pushed off the wall and swam as fast as they could to the other end. Misty was surprised to see that Ash was keeping pace with her, _he was never this good, _she thought as she pushed herself harder. Ash didn't look at Misty he just kept focusing on the other end of the pool and kicked his legs faster determined to beat Misty.

May watched as they approached the other end of the pool seeing Misty dive under the water, kicked off the wall and powered her way back towards the finishing line in one fluid movement, Ash on the other hand was so focused on going faster he headbutted the wall and stopped for a few seconds to get his bearings before turning around and chasing after Misty. Halfway back and Ash had nearly caught up to Misty, Ash could hear May and all the Pokémon cheering both of them on. Well nearly all of them, he could hear Pikachu only cheering for Misty, _Traitor,_ Ash thought as he pushed himself even harder as he drew level with Misty with only a quarter of the pool left. Ash started to slowly pull ahead of Misty as they approached the finish line but at the last second Misty just managed to pass him and touch the wall.

"Misty is the winner and Ash is making breakfast." May said as the Pokémon cheered for Misty.

"You nearly had me there Ash, when did you get so good at swimming?" Misty asked.

"When I trained my water Pokémon I swam with them and whenever I'm camped by a lake or the sea I'll go swimming in the morning and later on in the day if I feel like it." Ash answered, "If the race was longer than I would have beaten you Misty."

"Yeah of course you would, now let's get something to eat." Misty said as she climbed out of the pool.

"Alright." Ash lifted himself out of the pool and picked up his towel drying himself off, he looked at Pikachu, "Did you really just have to cheer for Misty?" he asked.

"Pikachu Pika Kachu Pikachupi."

"I know you haven't seen Misty for a long time but I still would have like you support."

"Pika Pichu KaPika."

"I'm not a sore loser. I'm just saying that a little support from my brother would have been nice."

"Pi Pika Pichu Pikachu."

"No I'm not trying to guilt trip you."

"Aw, Ash leave Pikachu alone. I'm happy that he was supporting me. He's going to get a bottle of Ketchup for that." Misty said picking the excited Electric type up and giving him a hug, "What did you mean when you said your brother?"

"A while ago I asked Pikachu what he thought if I said that we were more like brothers and he agreed with me. Don't give him a bottle of Ketchup though he got us kicked out of a Pokémon Centre in Sinnoh because of his addiction to it." Misty started laughing thinking that Ash was joking around but when she looked at Pikachu she saw a look of embarrassment on his face and realised that Ash was telling the truth. "I give him some as a treat every now and then but never a bottle of it. Besides I need him to be focused for the Gym battle." Misty paled slightly.

"What do you mean for the Gym battle? Pikachu's not going to fight me is he?"

"Yeah he is, Pikachu said that he'd battle you but he wouldn't use any electric attacks. We made a deal if he battled against you then I'd let him go up against Surge's Raichu again. He agreed to it only if I didn't ask him to use Electric type moves." Misty was glad that Pikachu wasn't going to be using type advantage against her but she was still nervous about battling him. She knew that he wouldn't be badly injured by the battle, it was just that Pikachu was Ash's strongest Pokémon and after seeing him battle yesterday she knew how strong he was. May could see that Misty felt nervous and tried to make her feel better.

"It'll be alright Misty, Pikachu won't go all out in the battle." May said, "Right Pikachu?" she asked looking at the electric type who nodded in agreement, Misty calmed a little and smiled giving Pikachu another hug. Pikachu cooed happily and nuzzled into Misty.

"Thanks May and you too Pikachu, I feel a little better now. Ash, I have one extra rule for the Gym battle today because it's you." Misty said.

"What the rule Misty?"

"No bug types allowed. You know that I scared of them and even though I know the ones you have I'm still a little scared of them. That's part of the reason I taught Gyarados Flamethrower, in case a challenger come in with bug types."

"Alright Misty no bugs I promise." Ash said, "Now let's go and get some breakfast." They all walked to the kitchen with the Pokémon following close behind them. While Ash was making pancakes Misty was giving May some tips on training Wartortle. As they ate the pancakes May was questioning Ash on when he would start teaching her how to use the Legend moves and which Pokémon he would use for the Gym battle.

"May. I'm not going to tell you which Pokémon I'm using it'll have to be a surprise and before I start teaching you how to use the Legend moves Spoink needs to make her Psychic attack stronger. Gardevoir wants to go to Professor Oak's lab so why not send Spoink with her and they can do some training together." Ash said answering May's questions.

"Why does Gardevoir want to go to the Lab?" Misty asked, Ash looked at the Psychic type and she nodded.

"Gardevoir is a little shaken by the battle yesterday it's been a while since she last got angry like that so she wants to get away from battles for a little bit." Misty and May nodded in understanding, once they all finished their breakfast Misty and Ash went to have a shower and get changed before going to the Pokémon Centre. May waited with the Pokémon, watching Pikachu, Glaceon and Sandshrew playing while Lucario and Gardevoir stood by her. When Misty and Ash reappeared Misty was wearing a red t-shirt under a short sleeved yellow jacket and a pair of denim shorts with her usual red trainers, Ash was wearing jeans, a black t-shirt, a blue jacket, his hat and had his bag on his shoulder.

"Ash, why are you taking your bag?" May asked.

"I need Professor Oak to send me a couple of things to help with my training, so instead of having to carry them in my arms I thought I'd just take my bag to make it easier." He answered before returning Sandshrew to his Pokéball after telling the ground type that he'd call him back after the battle. They all made their way to the Pokémon Centre after Misty locked the doors of the Gym.

After a few minutes they arrived at the Pokémon Centre, while Misty was collecting her Pokémon Ash went to the Vid Phones to call Professor Oak, it rang a couple of times until Professor Oak answered it.

"Ash, I take it you've decided which Pokémon you'll be needing for you battle against Misty." Said the Professor.

"Yeah I have, I'm going to send Gardevoir and Sandshrew to you. I want Sandshrew to meet my other Pokémon and Gardevoir is a little shaken after our battle with Gary yesterday so I want to give her a rest. Oh, May wants to send you one of her Pokémon as well, she's with Misty at the minute because I want my Pokémon to be a surprise."

"So which Pokémon do you want me to send?"

"Can you send Meowth, I won't be battling with him but I want to start his training. How's he been at the lab?" Ash asked.

"Your Pokémon are a little apprehensive around him but that's to be expected given the history they have with him. He's actually helped me a lot it's use full having a Pokémon that can speak English around the lab he was able to let me know why one of the new Pokémon on the ranch wasn't eating their food. He's even repaired a couple of machine that haven't worked in years. So who else do you need?" The professor asked. A smile crossed Ash's face as he remembered his plan.

"I need..." Ash started.

Misty and May were waiting in the reception of the Pokémon Centre for Ash to come back from the Pokéball Transfer Machine, he didn't want them to have even the slightest idea which Pokémon he would be using, though they were trying to work it out.

"What about Bulbasaur?" May asked but Misty shook her head.

"Bulbasaur's strong but Ash seems to be battling smarter now, Bulbasaur wouldn't be able to dodge properly on the platforms. He might try using Squirtle to try and throw me off, you know using a water type against me." Misty replied. "He might use some of his flying types to use the air above the pool to his advantage."

"If he uses a flying type he'd call for one that could take on your Gyarados. The only one I can think of that could do that is..." May trailed off as she realised what she was about to say. Misty gulped and a flicker of fear went across her face, they looked at each other and whispered a single word.

"Charizard."

Ash collected his Pokéballs and opened them revealing the Pokémon he had called from the Lab.

"Nice to see you again twerp."

"Nice to see you too Meowth. You feeling better?"

"A little stiff but other than that I'm fine." Ash nodded and turned his attention to his other Pokémon.

"Okay guys it's great to see all of you, I've got a battle against Misty today for the Cascade Badge will you help me?" the Pokémon voiced their support and Ash nodded his thanks. He returned most of them leaving Meowth and one other out, Ash knelt in front of the other Pokémon. "I have a plan and I need you help to do it. What I need you to do is..."

A few minutes Ash walked out to the reception and saw May sat in a chair stroking Glaceon. As Ash walked up to her he wondered where Misty had gone, May saw him coming with Pikachu on his shoulder and Meowth walking alongside him. As they got closer she got out of the chair.

"Hi Meowth, how are you feeling?" She asked the cat Pokémon.

"I've been worse but I'm ready to go. One question though does the Twer... I mean Misty know that I'm on your side now?" Meowth asked drawing some attention from people in the reception, as a talking Pokémon was very unusual.

"Yeah she knows we told her yesterday what's happened since we meet up in Viridian City." May replied.

"May, where is Misty?" Ash asked.

"Gary came over and they started talking about his research, I told Misty to go back to the Gym so her Pokémon can get ready for your Gym battle. Gary went with her to ask her more questions." She answered, Ash nodded.

"Do you want to send Spoink to the lab now or later?" Ash asked.

"I'll send her now. I think I'll swap my team around to give them a rest and try out some new appeals I've been thinking about." May then walked to the Vid-Phones to swap her Pokémon Glaceon following at her heels. A few minutes later she came back and linked arms with Ash, "Let's go back to the Gym now. I want to know which Pokémon you're going to use."

"Okay let's go." Ash said. They left the Pokémon Centre and made their way back to the Gym, walking arm in arm smiling.

At Professor Oak's Lab

Professor Oak released the Pokémon that Ash and May had transferred to him and told them where the rest of Ash and May's Pokémon could be found.

(Pokémon Language Translator Activated)

"Can you teach me to be a strong psychic like you?" asked Spoink as she looked up to Gardevoir who lead the Pokémon to the lake where their friends would be.

"Of course I will," Gardevoir replied, "Mistress May asked me to, in penance of what I did to her." The other Pokémon looked at her in confusion they hadn't heard what had happened so Gardevoir explained. After she had finished, the Pokémon looked at Gardevoir in silence they could see that she still felt guilty about what had happened. Sandshrew walked up to her and put a paw on her arm.

"You don't need to feel guilty, you said that May forgave you and only asked for your friendship and for your help training Spoink. You have no penance to pay only help and friendship to give. Don't dwell on the mistakes of the past look to the bright hopes of the future instead. What's done is done, forget it and move forward, only by doing that can you progress with your life and move past what has happened. Enjoy your life and be happy that you know have new friends." He said, the other Pokémon nodded. Gardevoir smiled a little.

"You are wise beyond you years Sandshrew." She said. Sandshrew chuckled.

"I'm older then I look. I lived through many winters before I was forced from my group once a new leader was elected. The next few weeks I spent foraging for food in the woods surrounding Mt Moon, with little to no success. I was chased and beaten by many trainers during that time I quickly developed a dislike for humans. I didn't have much contact with humans, the little I did have was only fleeting glances of passing trainers on their way to other places, while I was living in Mt Moon. When I came to your camp I hadn't eaten for the best part of a week and had been beaten by a few trainers the previous day, I was starving for food and I had no choice but to enter your camp when I smelt food. Your trainer, Ash, was the first human that showed me kindness and for that I am grateful, he also gave me a new home to live in and family to live with. This is something I will never forget and I will stay by his side for as long as he wishes." Gardevoir nodded, she felt the same way towards Ash and she knew that some of his other Pokémon felt the same way as they had been in similar situations before meeting Ash. Flaffy and Spoink stared at Sandshrew, they had only known Ash for a little over a week and were amazed to hear the conviction in Sandshrew's voice even though he had only been caught a couple of days before. The group walked in silence until Sandshrew spoke again.

"Gardevoir, what can you tell me about our trainer's mate?" Gardevoir looked at Sandshrew in confusion.

"Ash doesn't have a mate."

"Oh, I thought that he and May were together." Sandshrew said sounding confused. Gardevoir laughed quietly.

"They have a complicated relationship. May has feelings for Ash but is afraid to confess them and Ash has feelings for May but is too dense to realise. They are currently pretending to be a couple to stop someone from bothering May. From what I can understand he is only wants May for her body and as a trophy."

"I see." said Sandshrew thinking deeply before looking back to Gardevoir and smiling, "We'll have to do something about that won't we." Gardevoir smiled back and nodded, with Flaffy and Spoink agreeing.

The group carried on walking in silence until they got to the lake and saw the rest of their trainer's Pokémon, including the Pokémon that Ash's dad had sent.

"Come on," said Gardevoir, "Let's introduce you to everyone else shall we." Sandshrew, Spoink and Flaffy nodded and followed her to the group. They saw the assembled Pokémon doing various activities most were resting, others were swimming. The rest were sparring and training Infernape and Sawk were testing each other's fighting abilities, while Swellow and Staraptor were engaged in an aerial duel the others had paired off and battling each other. Noctowl was sleeping on a tree branch and heard someone approaching, opening his eyes he saw Gardevoir and the other Pokémon walking towards the lake.

"Ah Gardevoir, how nice to see you again," He said, "Who have you brought with you?"

"It's nice to see you again too Noctowl. This is Sandshrew, he decided to join Ash yesterday." She said, "These are Flaffy and Spoink, they are May's Pokémon." Noctowl nodded in understanding and looked at the Pokémon who had arrived with Gardevoir.

"It is a pleasure to meet you all. Please make yourselves at home all are welcome and none are turned away." He said. Sandshrew made his way towards the other ground types that were training, Flaffy made his way to where some of May's Pokémon where sleeping and Spoink stayed by Gardevoir wanting to start her training as soon as possible.

"Gardevoir, can you start teaching me now please? I want to help May next time she calls on me." Spoink asked, looking up at Gardevoir. Gardevoir looked back at Spoink and smiled.

"We can start training soon but first we should introduce you to the others, they'll be able to teach you all sorts of things if you ask them." She said.

"Alright let's go." Spoink said happily and bounced towards the group. Gardevoir shook her head and smiled before following the young psychic type.

"Goodbye Noctowl, I will come back and talk to you later my friend." she called to the Shiny flying type.

"I look forward to it Gardevoir, until then." Noctowl said as he returned to his sleep.

(Pokémon Language Translator Deactivated)

Back in Cerulean City

They walked into the Gym and found Misty and Gary sitting by the pool talking about how a water type Pokémon need some time to adjust to their body if there has been a big change in their form such as Feebas to Milotic changing from a normal fish body to a serpentine one.

"Misty, you ready for our battle?" Ash asked putting his bag down by the bench but before Misty could answer Ash was mobbed by her Pokémon, Corsola and Politoed jumped on to him knocking him to the floor, Pikachu saw them coming and abandoned shoulder landing on the bench before they sent Ash to the ground. May only just managed to unlink her arm from Ash's when the Pokémon jumped on him otherwise she would have fallen to the floor as well. Misty laughed a little seeing Ash get buried under her Pokémon but soon stopped and stiffened when she saw Meowth.

"Take it easy. I'm not part of Team Rocket no more, I'm one of the good guys now." Meowth said.

"He's right Misty, he even saved Ash's life while we were in Rota." May said. Misty nodded her head and relaxed slightly, her Pokémon had noticed Meowth and remembered everything that he had done to them and their trainer. They decided to keep a close eye on him just in case.

"How did Meowth save Ash? And why did you go to Rota?" asked Gary. May then realised that Ash didn't want too many people to know about the event in Rota and was struggling to find something to say.

"Well you see he ...er... There was..." May stuttered and stumbled over her words when she felt a hand on her shoulder, she turned and saw Ash was standing behind her now and Pikachu was back on his shoulder.

"We went to Rota because we heard there was a contest there and May wanted to get her first Ribbon. How Meowth saved me is another story, I was taking a walk with Meowth to where May was training and a wild Ursaring charged at me. I'd accidentally gotten between her and her cub, I froze up and Meowth jumped forward and tried to hold the Ursaring off but he got really hurt. I sent out the rest of my Pokémon and moved out of her way. She ran past picked up her cub and went further into the woods after that I took Meowth to the Pokémon Centre. Nurse Joy kept him there for a couple of days and then let him out, I sent him the Lab so that he could heal quicker and now I've brought him back to the team. I promised Meowth that I help him get stronger and that's what I'm going to do." Ash explained.

"I understand now but why didn't Pikachu help?" Gary asked, Ash realised that he'd forgotten to think of why Pikachu wasn't there but May came to his rescue.

"Pikachu woke up before Ash and came with me to help me with my appeal." She said. Gary nodded and moved on to a different topic.

"If you two are having a Gym Battle do you want me to be the Referee?" he asked.

"Sure, why not." Misty said recalling her Pokémon, "Ash, you ready?" Gary moved to the podium at the side of the pool and May went and sat down on the bench with Glaceon sat by her legs sniffing at Ash's bag. Lucario leaned against the wall next to May with is eyes closed.

"Yeah, I'm...oh wait a minute I almost forgot." Ash said he quickly ran over to his bag and opened it just enough to get his hand inside, "Where is it?" he muttered under his breath, he pulled his hand out of his bag and a second later the edges of his half of the Terracotta Ribbon poked out of the bag. "There it is." He said quietly before muttering something else which May couldn't hear properly. Ash put the Ribbon in his pocket and turned to her, "Can't battle without this can I." He said with a wink causing May to blush, she looked at the floor as Ash ran back to his side of the pool to start the battle. May saw that Glaceon was pawing at Ash's bag.

"Glaceon, stop that don't you want to watch Ash's battle?" Glaceon stopped and turned to sit facing the pool, May was about to turn her attention to the pool as well when she swore that she saw the bag wriggle slightly, she also thought about how after Ash brought his hand out of the bag the ribbon had appeared. _He must of had it between the tips of his fingers and the bag can't have wriggled something must have fallen over or something,_ May shook her head and saw that Meowth was walking over to her. He jumped on to the bench and sat down.

"If you want to see something funny watch Misty's face during the battle." He said quietly.

"What do you mean?" May asked.

"Ash has a plan and it'll really surprise Misty so just watch her." Meowth replied with a grin. May tried to get more information out of Meowth but his lips were sealed and the battle was about to start.

"This is an official gym between the Cerulean City Gym Leader Misty Waterflower and the challenger Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town. This will be a 3 on 3 battle. Trainers are you ready?" Gary said, he had thought about passing a comment on Misty for calling him an idiot yesterday but Misty seemed to be one step ahead of him as he saw her twirling her Mallet around with one hand. Gary did notice that it was being held together with some tape and assumed that Misty broke it by hitting someone too hard.

Ash and Misty nodded their heads to show that they were ready but didn't take their eyes off each other as they tried to stare each other down. "Trainer release your first Pokémon."

"Go Starmie." Misty called throwing one of her Pokéballs out over the pool. A purple ten pointed star-like Pokémon with a yellow harness holding a red crystal at her centre (**AN I know that Starmie are genderless when you hear one in the anime they sound like girls**) appeared on a platform near Misty Ash turned his head to look at Pikachu.

"Let's go." He said, Pikachu jumped off his shoulder and on to the nearest floating platform.

"Begin." Gary shouted.

"Starmie Water Gun." Starmie fired a powerful stream of water at Pikachu from one of her points. Pikachu instinctively dodged jumping to another platform.

"Use Grass Knot." Ash called and Pikachu's eyes briefly glowed green and a few tufts of grass grew out of the platform Starmie was on and wrapped around her lower points knocking her over when she tried to turn. "Now Hidden Power." Multiple white spheres of energy appeared circling Pikachu before they flew towards Starmie who had just gotten back onto her points. (**AN Points, feet whatever you want to call them**)

"Deflect them with Rapid Spin." Misty cried out. Starmie hovered couple of inches off the platform and started spinning at high speed some of the spheres hit while other were knocked away. "Now use Ice Beam." Starmie stopped spinning and fired an icy blue beam at Pikachu.

"Dodge it with Agility." Ash said, Pikachu blurred slightly as he ran at high speed away from the attack. "Now use Hidden Power again." Once more orbs of white light circled Pikachu, after a few seconds they were launched at Starmie closing the distance between them quickly. Misty tried to defend with Rapid Spin again but she was too late, Hidden Power slammed into the water type and sent it falling off the platform and into the water.

"Starmie use Psychic." Misty shouted. Starmie rose from the water and her jewel glowed as a blue light surrounded her.

"Pikachu dodge with Agility." The blue light of Psychic started to surround Pikachu until he moved at lightning speed (**AN pun unintended**) breaking the light and moving to another platform to put some distance between himself and Starmie. "Now use Grass Knot again." Pikachu's eyes glowed green again and more grass grew out of the platform tripping the water type up once more. "Now get in close and use Hidden Power." Pikachu used Agility to get close to the fallen Starmie and prepared himself for the attack.

"Starmie use Water Gun!" Misty shouted. The top three points of Starmie each fired a blast of water which cannoned into Pikachu sending him across the battlefield and into the water. Tense seconds went by as the waited to see if Pikachu surfaced ready to battle or not. Finally some bubble broke the surface and Pikachu pulled himself back onto the nearest platform, he was breathing heavily but he was still able to battle. "Starmie finish this quickly with Rapid Spin." Starmie flew towards Pikachu, spinning at high speed closing the distance between them in seconds. Misty was confident of victory when she was something that really worried her. Ash was smiling.

May was watching the battle with intense fascination but Glaceon was distracted by Ash's back for some reason. May saw this and decided to find out why.

"What is it Glaceon?" She asked, Glaceon just kept pawing at Ash's bag. It was then that May noticed that the bag seemed to be wriggling, she lifted the bag onto her lap and noticed that it was heavier than she thought it would be. She stole a glance at Ash not wanting him to know that she was snooping in his bag, but Ash was completely focused on the battle. Meowth was also focused on the battle and didn't notice what May was doing, Lucario however did but didn't interfere as he knew what was going to happen in next in the battle and all would be explained. May slowly unzipped the top of the bag and looked inside and what she saw confused her greatly. "What's going on?" she muttered under her breath.

"Time to end this battle." Ash said with a grin as Starmie was a foot away from Pikachu. "Night Daze." He said calmly. Pikachu nodded and was outlined in a red light before it expanded outwards forming a dome and red and black energy. Starmie slammed into the dome and was thrown backwards landing hard on a platform the other side of the Gym. Pikachu jumped in the air and was enveloped with a purple swirling light, when he landed he looked very different. His yellow fur was replaced by black fur, his lightning bolt shaped tail was now short and fluffy covered with black and red fur, a tuft of fur was present on his forehead tipped with red fur, his long thin ears were now short and black. Pikachu was never in the battle, it was Zorua that Misty had been battling.

"Hehehehehe" Zorua chuckled.

"But how...I mean...he was...where?" Misty stuttered, her face a mask of confusion as she tried to work out what had just happened. Meowth was sat on the bench next to May howling with laughter, while Ash was trying not to laugh as well.

"Sorry Misty but I tricked you again. This is Zorua, he has the ability to make illusions." Ash explained. Zorua decided to prove Ash's point, he jumped into the air and was once more enveloped with purple light, when he landed on the platform again he looked exactly like Ash except for having a short black and red tail.

"Hehehehehe"

"Zorua, I keep telling you don't do that. It really freaks people out." Ash scolded as Zorua changed back.

"Where's Pikachu?" Misty asked. Ash opened his mouth to explain when May cut him off.

"He's over here." May said, Misty and Ash looked over and saw that May was holding Pikachu in her arms. "Ash hid him in his bag." Ash could see that they were about to ask why so he started to explain.

"Misty, you know how I battle and what I'm probably going to do, so I needed to think of a way to battle you differently and this was the only thing that came to mind. Now can we finish this Gym battle I want to get that Cascade Badge."

"Ash, you tricked me again, there is no way you're getting that badge." Misty said angrily, "Starmie use Psychic." Starmie's core shone and a blue light surrounded Zorua but quickly dissipated. Misty look on in confusion.

"Did I mention that Zorua is a dark type?" Ash asked, "and I will get that badge. Zorua, Grass Knot to hold Starmie in place then use Dark Shadow." Zorua used Grass Knot again and the blades of grass wrapped around Starmie's lower points keeping her from moving, he then formed a Shadow Ball in front of his mouth and fired it quickly following it with a Dark Pulse. The Shadow Ball and Dark Pulse fused together to create a larger ball of dark energy with rings spiraling around it (**AN looks like an atom**).

"Starmie use Rapid Spin to get out of there." Misty shouted but it was too late the grass held Starmie too tightly and the combined attack slammed into her throwing her out of the grass and out of the pool, landing on the floor behind Misty. Starmie's core blinked weakly.

"Starmie is unable to battle, the winner is Pika... I mean Zorua." Gary said, correcting himself. Misty recalled Starmie while Ash congratulated Zorua on his first Gym battle. Ash looked across the pool to Misty.

"Misty, I'm sorry for tricking you but I wanted see how you would battle Pikachu. I know I shouldn't be surprised to see that you went all out. Can you forgive me for tricking you?" Ash asked. Misty looked back at him and nodded.

"I did have a feeling about the battle. Pikachu looked like he was moving differently than the last time I saw him but I put that down to the fact I haven't seen him battle in years. I do forgive you but I will have my revenge. Go Politoed." Misty said as she sent her second Pokémon onto the battlefield. Politoed landed on the nearest platform smiling and started to clap his hands.

"Politoed Politoed." He croaked.

"Politoed use Hydro Pump." Misty called. Politoed opened his mouth and launched a torrent of water at Zorua, the small dark type didn't have time to dodge and was sent flying backwards landing on the platform nearest to Ash.

"Zorua are you okay?" Ash asked getting a nod in return, "Alright, use Shadow Ball." Zorua fired a ball of crackling black energy at the water type but Politoed dove underwater barely avoiding it, the attack had grazed his side. Zorua looked all around trying to find Politoed but didn't succeed. "Zorua keep calm and be ready." Ash said as his eyes swept across the water looking for the slightest sign of where Politoed could be.

"Politoed use Focus Blast." Misty shouted, a second later Politoed leapt from the water directly in front of Zorua and threw a light blue ball of energy at the dark type. Focus Blast hit Zorua full on and sent him flying into Ash's arms with swirls in his eyes.

"Zorua is unable to battle, Politoed is the winner." Gary said. Ash returned Zorua to his ball thanking him for all his hard work, Ash then took another Pokéball from his belt and enlarged it. He turned to look at Pikachu.

"You ready to see how she does?" he asked, Pikachu nodded in reply, Ash smiled, "Alright then, I choose you." He said throwing the ball into the air. A flash of light was emitted by the ball as the Pokémon inside was released, once the light had faded everyone could see the Pokémon that Ash would be using. She had spiky yellow fur over most of her body with a collar of white fur around her neck, she stood on four legs and held her head high. Her eyes were solid black with white pupils.

"Jolt, Jolt." She said looking around seeing Ash she ran up to him and rubbed against his leg.

"It's great to see you too Jolteon but we're in the middle of a Gym battle. I'll play with you later okay but now I need you to battle now." Ash said with a small laugh as ne knelt down to stroke the electric type, Jolteon nodded her head and ran back on to the platform.

"Ash, did you evolve one of your Eevee?" May asked.

"No, I'll tell you how I got Jolteon later." He replied.

"Politoed use Ice Beam." Misty shouted trying to win this battle quickly, she hadn't expected Ash t have another electric type with him. She knew that he'd gotten some from his dad but didn't think Ash would have already had one other than Pikachu. Politoed fired an icy blue beam of energy at Jolteon. When the beam was seconds away from hitting Jolteon she disappeared and then reappeared on a different platform.

"Jolteon is my fastest Pokémon even Sceptile has trouble keeping up with her." Ash said when he saw the shocked looks on everyone's faces, "Jolteon use Pin Missile." Jolteon lent forward raising the spiked fur on her back and fired a flurry of white needle like points of energy. Politoed tried to dodge them but was hit by most of the attack. "Now use Thunderbolt." Jolteon's body was covered with a crackling shroud of yellow electricity as she quickly charged the attack, Politoed was still reeling from the previous attack and was unable to dodge the electric attack them surged through his system. Politoed fell to the ground twitching from the attack, a couple of seconds passed and Politoed started to slowly get to his feet.

"Politoed, are you okay?" Misty asked, Politoed looked over his shoulder and gave Misty a confident smile as he nodded his head, "Right use Hypnosis then use Focus Blast." Politoed's eyes glowed red and red rings moved towards Jolteon, following it quickly with a Focus Blast.

"Jolteon use Counter Shield!" Ash shouted as soon as he heard Misty call for Hypnosis, Jolteon quickly rolled over and started to spin on her back while using Thunderbolt, creating a spinning shield made from electricity. The Hypnosis attack hit the shield and was destroyed, the Focus Blast hit the shield as ricocheted into the pool sending water everywhere. "Now Jolteon use Quick Attack." Jolteon righted herself and ran at Politoed leaving a trail of white light in her wake. She slammed into Politoed's stomach sending him back a few paces.

"Politoed use Hyper Voice." Misty said. Politoed opened his mouth and an ear splitting cry knocked Jolteon back. Jolteon tried to block out the noise by putting her front paws over her ears, "Now Politoed, Ice Punch." Politoed's fist became coated in Icy energy as he hit Jolteon directly in the face sending her back towards Ash.

"Jolteon, finish this use Thunder Missile." Jolteon fired another Pin Missile attack following it with a Thunder attack hitting the Pin Missile and charging it with the electricity. The combined attack rained down on Politoed and resulted in a cloud of smoke covering the platform the water type was standing on. When the smoke cleared Politoed was laying on his back with swirls in his eyes.

"Politoed is unable to battle, Jolteon wins. Misty, please send out your last Pokémon." Misty returned Politoed thanking him for his effort and took out her final Pokéball.

"Go Gyarados." Misty shouted sending out her strongest Pokémon. Ash took an involuntary step back as Gyarados appeared roaring, Jolteon whimpered slightly but held her ground.

"Jolteon use Thunderbolt." Ash said wanting to get an early lead in this battle knowing that Gyarados would be hard to beat. Jolteon fired the attack at the opposing water type and hoped that she would do Ash and Pikachu proud.

"Gyarados block it with your own Thunderbolt." Misty said smirking, Gyarados' body started to crackle with electricity as she built up the power for the attack before firing the attack from her crest.

"Like, what's with all the noise?" May looked in the direction the voice had come from to see Misty's sisters walking towards her.

"Ash and Misty are having a Gym Battle." May replied. Misty's sister looked over at the battle and saw that Gyarados was out.

"Oh, poor Ashy's not going to win if Misty's using Gyarados. That one has like never lost a match." Lily said

"Ash will win, I know he will." May said angrily.

"Care to like make a bet?" Daisy said.

"What do you mean?" May asked.

"If Misty wins, Ashy takes us out on a date tonight and if he wins he takes you out and we'll pay for it."

"No way I'm agreeing to that." May said crossing her arms and looking at the battle.

"I thought you like said Ashy was going to win, if you're like so confident about it what's to lose." Violet said, "or don't you believe that Ashy will win?" May rounded on the three Cerulean sisters.

"Ash will win this battle," May said through gritted teeth, "and stop calling him Ashy!" venom filled her final words.

"So do we like have a deal or what?" Daisy said with a small smirk on her lips, as she held out her hand.

"Deal." May said shaking Daisy's hand. The Pokémon with May looked at her in shock before turning their attention back to the battle and praying that Ash would win.

"Jolteon stop your attack and take that Thunderbolt." Ash called out shocking everyone other then his Pokémon. Jolteon stopped her Thunderbolt and let Gyarados' hit her but she didn't take any damage. "Jolteon's ability is Volt Absorb," Ash explained, "now her attacks are more powerful. Jolteon use Thunder." Jolteon launched the powerful electric attack at Gyarados and hitting the large sea serpent. Gyarados roared in pain, glaring at Jolteon with a burning anger.

"Gyarados use Flamethrower." Misty shouted, Gyarados opened her mouth and let a pillar of fire erupt out of it. Jolteon dove out of the way but was still hit by the flames and burnt. Ash was about to recall her when she charged another Thunderbolt and attacked Gyarados again. "Gyarados use Earthquake to stop Jolteon from moving then finish with Hyper Beam." Gyarados slammed her tail onto the water causing the entire pool to start moving, the constant movement of the water kept Jolteon from escaping to another platform as Gyarados charged a ball of orange energy in her mouth and fired it. Jolteon was engulfed by the blast and when the energy faded and the smoke had gone Jolteon was lying on the platform knocked out. Ash recalled Jolteon thanking her for all of her hard work, he reached for another Pokéball. Pikachu glared at Gyarados, his cheeks sparked. May noticed Pikachu's reaction and made a note to ask Ash about it later while she tried to calm Pikachu down.

"I choose you Scepti..." he started but he stopped when another of his Pokéballs snapped open and the Pokémon inside the ball appeared on the field. The Pokémon was a dark blue in colour with beige shell like armour covering some of his body and white hair sprouting from his face forming a moustache and beard. "Samurott? What are you doing out?" Samurott drew one of his scalchops from his foreleg sheaths and pointed at Gyarados. "You want to battle Gyarados?" Samurott nodded, "Well alright then," Ash said as he put the Pokéball he was holding back on his belt, "You sure have changed from when we first met haven't you." Samurott nodded and looked at Gyarados.

"Samurott Razor Shell back to back." Ash said. Samurott drew his other scalchop and blue water like energy grew around them giving them the shape of swords as he charged towards Gyarados who was still recharging from using Hyper Beam. Samurott struck again and again as fast as he could while constantly moving around Gyarados just in case she started to attack again. "Switch to Night Slash." Ash called out. Samurott nodded and his scalchops changed from a watery blue to a dark purple as he continued his attack.

"Gyarados use Thunderbolt." Misty shouted. Electricity crackled around Gyarados again as she prepared her attack.

"Samurott get out of there." Ash shouted. Samurott kept attacking until the last second when he jumped out of the way and barely evaded the super effective attack. "Now use Water Pulse and follow it up with Ice Beam." Samurott opened his mouth and shot out a ball of water which grew in size as it approached Gyarados, Samurott then fired an Ice Beam at the Water Pulse freezing it into a solid ball of ice. Gyarados dove under the water to dodge the attack, Ash smiled, "Now Ice Beam on the water." Samurott fired another Ice Beam at the pool freezing the surface. Gyarados surfaced breaking through the ice.

"Gyarados use Hydro Pump." Gyarados opened her mouth and sent a torrent of water towards Samurott.

"Samurott dodge it." Ash said and Samurott used the ice to skate out of the way and get in close to Gyarados. Ash and Samurott had used this strategy a few time during their training. "Now use Attract." Samurott looked into Gyarados' eyes and winked at her with a flirty smile on his face. Pink hearts flew towards Gyarados and hit her before she could try and dodge them, her eyes were replaced by hearts. Misty looked on in horror.

"Gyarados snap out of it." She cried but it was no use Gyarados was completely head over fins for Samurott. (**AN like head over heels but for fish**)

"Now Samurott Megahorn." The horn on Samurott's helmet glowed white as he struck Gyarados with it sending her backwards across the ice. When Gyarados rose up Ash saw something that worried him, her eyes were back to normal. "Samurott quickly use Slash." Samurott drew his scalchops again as the glowed white and he charged Gyarados by skating his way across the ice.

"Gyarados Thunderbolt." The Atrocious Pokémon launched another Thunderbolt.

"Samurott dodge it!" Samurott skillfully dodged by skating out of the way,

"Dragon Rage." Gyarados charged a ball of blue and black energy in her mouth and fired it. As it approached Samurott it morphed into the shape of a dragon's head.

"Samurott get out of the way." Ash shouted but Samurott didn't move he skated straight into the path of the attack and was hit. Smoke blocked everyone's view of Samurott, Ash was about to use his Aura to see what had happened when Samurott burst out of the smoke cloud and slashed Gyarados over and over again. Switching between attacks on his own going from Slash to Night Slash to Razor Shell and back over and over again. Gyarados roared in pain batting Samurott away with her tail, both Pokémon were breathing heavily covered in the evidence of their battle. Ash and Misty looked at each other and knew that it was time to finish this battle.

"Gyarados use Hyper Beam." Gyarados once again fired the beam of orange energy towards her opponent. Misty was sure of her win until heard Ash's command to Samurott.

"Samurott dodge with Aqua Jet." Samurott bellowed and became shrouded in water as he flew towards Gyarados diving under the Hyper Beam and closing the distance quickly, "Now spin and finish with Slash." Samurott did as Ash said drawing his scalchops and spinning while using Aqua Jet, his scalchops slashed Gyarados repeatedly until he moved out of the way to avoid her tail and landed back in front of Ash. Samurott and Gyarados faced each other stared dead into the other eyes not moving, seconds felt like hours until Gyarados gave one final mighty roar and fell forward, her eyes were replaced by spirals.

"Gyarados is unable to battle, the winner is Samurott, therefore the winner of the match is Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town." Gary said. May and the Pokémon cheered as Misty's sisters looked on in shock and disappointment. Misty and Ash walked round the pool to each other after returning their Pokémon with words of thanks.

"Congratulations Ash, you've earned this," Misty said holding out the Cascade Badge, "I, Misty Waterflower of the Cerulean City Gym, present you with the Cascade Badge in recognition of your victory here. Wear it with pride as not many have earned it." Ash took the badge, he turned to May and the Pokémon holding the badge between his finger and thumb.

"Alright I won the Cascade Badge." He said excitedly, then a confused look came over his face, "Hey Misty, what did you mean not many have earned it?"

"Well since I took over as Gym Leader, the Cerulean City Gym has become one of the hardest to beat. The only ones higher are Saffron and Viridian, from what I've heard about the Viridian City Gym Leader she's never lost a match since she took over four years ago. You're the first high rank trainer to beat me." Misty explained

"What do you mean high rank trainer?"

"Most of the trainers that come here are new trainer with little to no experience, like the first time you came here. For those battles I use my lower leveled Pokémon like Caserin and Marill. The high experience trainers like you that have come for a badge, none of them apart from you have beaten Gyarados."

"Really, Gyarados is that strong?"

"You have no idea a couple of years ago a trainer came in with Pokémon I've never seen before saying that beating the Indigo League would be easy because this was the bonnies or something like that. I had a new trainer before his battle and afterwards the new trainer had lost and this guy started to belittle him saying that he should quit and not bother continuing his journey. I told the kid to stay and watch this guy's battle, Gyarados demolished his whole team quite quickly, she did it barely breaking a sweat. I can't remember that guy's name but he never came back and I didn't see him in the league either.", Misty laughed a little, "I still remember the look on his face when he saw Gyarados. I think he might've wet himself."

"Boonies." Ash said quietly.

"What?" asked Misty.

"He called Kanto the Boonies."

"Yeah, that was it." Misty said, " You know him?" Ash nodded.

"His name's Trip, I met him in Unova. I thought he would've changed but I guess not." He said sadly.

"Cheer up Ash," Misty said putting a hand on his shoulder, "You're a better trainer and better person then he'll ever be." She smiled and gave him a friendly hug before whispering in his ear, "If you tell anyone I said that then not even your Aura abilities will save you." When they separated Ash smiled nervously and was about to walk over to May and the Pokémon when he felt a sharp pain at the back of his head knocking his hat off. He turned back and saw that Misty had her hand in the air, "That was for tricking me again." She said before walking towards May. Ash shook his head as he bent down to retrieve his hat when a pale blue blur grabbed it and ran away. Straightening up Ash saw that Glaceon now had his hat and had given it to May, Ash walked over to May and was about to speak when she wrapped her arms around him neck and hugged him.

"Congratulations Ash." She said happily kissing his cheek. May stopped the hug and put Ash's hat on her head, she made sure to keep in contact with Ash so Misty's sisters wouldn't try anything.

"So like where are you going to go on your date?" Daisy asked.

"What date?" Ash asked. May was about to explain but Lily spoke first.

"We made a bet with May that if you won the match then we'd pay for you and May to go on a date." Ash and Misty looked at May and the sisters in shock, Gary had heard the bet being made but kept quiet so the battle wouldn't be effected.

"What would've happened if I'd lost?"

"Then you would've gone on a date with the three of us." Violet said smiling. Ash paled at the thought of it and started to feel a little faint.

"I'll leave the date up to May, I need to take my Pokémon to be healed and swap my team around so that I can train my new Pokémon." Ash said.

"Ash, would you take my Pokémon with you they need to be healed too." Misty asked. Ash nodded in agreement and took the Pokéballs from her.

"Mind if I tag along? I need to get a couple of things from my bag, I've still got a few things I need to ask you Misty." Gary asked. Ash didn't have anything against him coming and nodded. May decided to stay at the Gym with Misty and Misty's sisters went out to get beauty treatments. Pikachu stayed at the Gym with May and Misty.

"May, can I have my hat back?" Ash asked. May looked thoughtful for a minute.

"Er...No, I think it looks better on me for now." She said with a wink and sticking her tongue out.

"Alright just look after it, that hat's my favourite." Ash said laughing. _She's right it does look better on her. _He thought.

"Why's it your favourite?"

"I'll tell you some other time." Ash said, May pouted and tried to get Ash to tell her by using her puppy dog eyes but Ash quickly turned away and closed his eyes so he wouldn't fall prey to her glistening sapphires. After a few minutes just before Ash was going to give in May gave up and sighed in defeat.

Before Ash left Gary asked him what he was going to do before Samurott came out of his ball.

"I was going to call out Sceptile." Ash said.

"That would mean you had seven Pokémon with you." Gary said.

"I knew that Pikachu would never battle Misty even without using Electric type attacks so I sent his Pokéball to the lab. I had Samurott with me in case I needed him. I was going to use Sceptile's speed and a few attacks he learnt while training to battle Gyarados but you know what happened." Ash explained. Gary nodded in understanding and after that everyone when about their business.

Once Ash had left the Gym May turned to Misty.

"Do you think Ash is mad at me for making that bet?" she asked

"No, he's not mad at you." Misty said, "If anything he's probably not thinking about it too much. So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know, what is there to do in Cerulean for a date?"

"Well there's a few nice restaurants, you could go see a movie, you could have a picnic in the park and if you really want it to be romantic there Cerulean Cape."

"Cerulean Cape?"

"Yeah it's the number one date spot here. There's a legend that says when true love walks the Cape a school of Luvdisc will jump out of the water on that night to honour the love they felt. I think you and Ash should go." Misty said with a grin, May's face heated up as she turned her gaze to the floor.

"Misty don't." May said quietly.

"Look May you asked for my advice and that's it.", Misty sighed, "Look go to a movie, have a meal and then take a walk. Don't think of it as a date, think of it as having a good time with your best friend. With everything that you're feeling you need to take a step back and just have some fun with a friend, this 'date' is your chance to do that. Just go out and have some fun, it'll do you good to enjoy yourself with a friend." May thought about what Misty said and realised that she was right.

"Misty, can you help me plan this 'date' so that it's just two friends having fun and not a couple?" May asked. Misty smiled.

"Sure May but we'll need it to look like a real date in case anyone see you don't we."

"Oh yeah I kind of forgot about that." May said rubbing the back of her head, Misty giggled slightly and linked her arm with May's.

"Come on we've got some planning to do." Misty said pulling May to the Gym Leader's side of the battlefield in case any more challengers came in.

Gary could tell that something was bothering Ash as they walked to the Pokémon Centre, usually he would be talking about the battle but Ash was strangely quiet.

"Ash, you alright? Looks like something's bothering you." Gary said looking at his old rival.

"..." Ash opened his mouth to reply but nothing was said.

"It's about this date isn't it?"

"Yeah." Ash said quietly.

"Well what's wrong?"

"I don't know what to do, I've never been on a date before. After the contest in Rota I took May to the party afterwards but this is different isn't it. I don't want to let her down."

_Wow, _Gary thought, _Ash has been hit hard and he doesn't even know it._ "Listen Ash, I know what you're feeling. My first date I felt the same I was really scared about disappointing the girl but Grandpa gave me some advice he said 'You just need to try to stay calm and be yourself. Don't think of it as a date, treat it like any other day and you'll be fine.' He was right I just acted the way I usually did and the date went fine."

"Gary, you're leaving something out." Ash said

"No I'm not." Gary replied walking a little quicker.

"Gary, we've known each other since we were kids I can tell when you're not telling me something now. I never used to but I can now so what are you not saying?" Gary sighed in defeat.

"She slapped me after I kissed her."

"Why'd she do that?"

"I may have asked if her sister was as good as kissing as she was.", Ash stared at his friend before he smirked. The smirk changed into a grin and then he started to laugh, "I couldn't stop myself, it just came out." Gary said, Ash spent the next couple of minutes trying to stop laughing while Gary glared at him. Ash was still dense when it came to girls and romance because of the movies his mom had made him watch while he was at home even he knew that you don't say something like that.

"Who was she?" Ash asked once he had stopped laughing. Gary mumbled something under his breath. "I didn't hear that speak up Gary."

"Leaf." Gary said quietly

"Leaf! Now I know why she hates you so much. She's hated you for years, when did all this happen?"

"Just before we left on our journeys." Ash and Gary walked a little further in silence when Ash spoke again.

"Wasn't her sister like twenty or something?"

"She was 19." Gary answered, "What can I say, back then I liked older girls. Now they need to be closer to our age. Ash take my advice be yourself on this date, you won't disappoint May." There was a minute of silence before Gary spoke again grinning, "and don't mention her sister."

"She hasn't got a sister." Ash said returning the grin.

"Alright then don't mention her mom."

"Why would I do that? Wait did you..." Gary nodded.

"Helena Gray. Every now and then my chin still hurts." He said rubbing his chin

"Helena from down the street?"

"Yeah that's her. She's got a powerful right hook, nearly knocked one of my teeth out." At this point neither one could hold there laughter anymore and they laughed all the way to the Pokémon Centre.

After his Pokémon had been healed Ash sent Sceptile, Samurott, Jolteon and Zorua back to the Lab and asked for Sandshrew, Grimm, Pikachu's Pokéball and Krookodile. Ash wanted to start training his new Pokémon and Meowth, his plan was to have Krookodile help train Sandshrew and teach him some new moves, Pikachu could help Meowth and Lucario would train with Grimm. Collecting his Pokéballs and Misty's he thanked Nurse joy and waited for Gary to finish collecting his things. When Gary appeared he had his bag on his back.

"I thought you were only going to get a couple of things." Ash said.

"I thought about it and after I've talked to Misty I'm going to start making my way back to Pallet Town. I should get to Mount Moon before night fall." Gary replied. Ash nodded and together they started making their way back to the Gym. Ash didn't notice the looks he was getting from the girls that they passed but Gary did and felt a pang of envy when he realised that all the looks were being given to Ash. _Ash has absolutely no idea this is happening. He is the luckiest guy alive...or the unluckiest given he's not noticing._ Gary shock his head and smiled when a pretty girl walked up to them, he saw a group of girl watching them and realised that this girl must've been part of that group.

"Hi," she said looking at Ash and completely ignoring Gary, "I'm Jenny. What's your name handsome?"

"I'm Ash."

"and I'm Gary."

"That's nice." She said waving Gary off. "So Ash, what are you doing in Cerulean City?"

"I came to get the Cascade Badge."

"You're a trainer, can I come and watch your match, please." Jenny said putting her hand on Ash's arm and giving him puppy dog eyes.

"Sorry but I've already had my battle and won the badge." Jenny stepped back a little in shock.

"You beat Misty? Did you battle her Gyarados?"

"Yeah Misty's an old friend of mine and I did battle her Gyarados, it was a close call but I beat her."

"Wow you must be really strong, want to go out sometime?" Ash was about to reply when Gary grabbed his arm and pulled him to one side.

"Excuse us." He said leaving Jenny by herself.

"What did you do that for Gary?"

"Arceus you're dense," Gary sighed, "That girl was flirting with you."

"Flirting? Why?" Gary was nearly pulling his hair out at this point.

"Because she thinks you cute."

"What do I do?" Ash asked.

"If it was me I'd go out with her but you're playing the part of May's boyfriend so you tell her you already have a girlfriend." Gary said, "then tell her I'm single."

"Okay." Ash said and was about to walk back to Jenny when Gary stopped him again.

"Don't tell May about this."

"Why not?"

"Has any girl talked to you like that when May was around?" Gary asked. Ash remembered what had happened in the Co-Ordinators room back in Rota between May and Ursula and nodded. "May got angry right?" Ash nodded again. "That's why if you tell her then she'll get angry and because the girl isn't around she'll take it out on you." Ash paled as he remembered the power of the emotions he had felt coming from May that day.

"Thanks for the warning and the help." Ash said as he walked back to Jenny with Gary walking slightly behind him.

"So are we going out or what?" Jenny asked with a giggle.

"Sorry, I already have a girlfriend," Ash said, "but my friend Gary is single." Gary smiled at her, Jenny looked at him and then back at Ash.

"Where's your girlfriend?"

"She's back at the Gym with Misty, I'm on my way back there now if you want to meet her." Gary facepalmed, "Her name's May she's a Pokémon Co-Ordinator." Jenny smiled seductively at Ash as she stood very close to him. She leaned forward and lifted herself up onto her toes, moving her mouth close to his ear.

"Why not leave her and come with me?" she whispered in his ear. Ash took a couple of steps back and fixed Jenny with a steely gaze.

"May is my girlfriend and I care for her more than you could ever know, I'm never going to leave her. So if you'll excuse me I'm going to go and see her now." Ash turned and started walking to the Gym with Gary and Jenny staring at him. _Ash says that and still doesn't know what he's feeling,_ Gary thought, _How dense is he?_ Gary shook head and walked after Ash leaving a bewildered Jenny on her own.

"Ash, where did that come from?" Gary asked when he had caught up to Ash.

"I don't know it just came out when she said leave May." Ash replied, Gary could hear a slight note of fear in Ash's voice. He realised that something like this must've happened before and because Ash didn't know where this was coming from or why it was scaring him.

"Do worry about it Ash, it just the fact that you want to protect May is making you say things like that. You probably heard it in a film or something." Gary said to try and help Ash calm down.

"Yeah you're probably right whenever I was home my mom made me watch romance films with her." They walked in an uncomfortable silence for a bit until Gary decided to try and make it less awkward.

"How are you going to train your new Pokémon?" he asked and after that the spent the rest of the walk comparing thoughts on training methods.

"Right so we've got everything planned for the date." Misty said, "The only thing left is to let Ash know."

"Let me know what?"

Misty and May turned to see Ash and Gary walking towards them. May smiled seeing Ash and walked over to meet him,

"Hi Ash. We were just saying that we needed to tell you what we've planned for tonight." May said nervously.

"What are we doing?" Ash asked.

"I was thinking we could go to a movie and then get something to eat. Just treat it as a night out with a friend, we'll have to make it look like a real date though." May started to blush slightly.

"How do were do that?" Ash asked quietly.

"Well...we'll need to look like a couple, so hold hands or you could put your arm around me," May was slowly turning bright red and Ash was as well, "and maybe go for a walk after we eat."

"Oh okay." Ash said, "Misty is it okay if I use one of the Gyms other pools to do some training?" he asked quickly.

"Yeah sure, you can." Misty said looking confused and a little angry when she saw the hurt look on May's face.

"Thanks Misty, come on guys we've got some training to do." Ash called to Pikachu, Meowth and Lucario before running to start his training. The Pokémon looked at each other before following him. May watched Ash go and felt tears starting to fill her eyes, just before she started to cry she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning round she saw Gary standing by her and noticed that he had a hand on Misty's shoulder as well.

"Don't be mad at Ash," he said, "and don't be upset either."

"Why not? He's hurt May's feelings and run off like it was nothing!" Misty said angrily.

"Because he's scared."

"Why's he scared?" May asked.

"He doesn't know what to do on a date, he's scared of disappointing you. Ash is the densest person I know but he's starting to understand that there's more to life than Pokémon. (**AN I'm not at that stage yet**) I know that he didn't mean to hurt you just give him a little space and he'll be fine. When you're on the date just try and keep him calm, if you do that then everything will be alright."

"Thanks Gary, Ash told you about our situation didn't he." May said drying her eyes.

"Yeah he did, after the battle yesterday. When we went to the Pokémon Centre he told me about not wanting to disappoint you and that after your Contest in Rota you went to a party together," May blushed again, "and from your reaction I can tell that he left something out. What happened after the party? He told me that you danced together and left it there."

May blushed even more and then told Gary about what nearly happened in the garden's.

"Wow, never thought that would've happened. What stopped you?" Gary asked

"One of the other Co-Ordinators came over and interrupted."

"Why not try again?"

"Ash isn't the only one who's scared."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Before we went to Rota, Team Rocket attacked us. They kidnapped me and told Ash that if he wanted to see me again he had to give them Pikachu. That's how Meowth joined Ash, he didn't like the fact that they were willing to hurt me to get Pikachu. Meowth led Ash to where they had me and Ash fought them, he got hurt. Arbok and Seviper bit him and injected him with their venom but Ash still saved me and sent them blasting off. After that he collapsed and was unconscious for a few days. Seeing Ash like that because of me it...I can't put him in that position again. If I tell him then he'll either leave me or put himself in even more danger, I can't do that to him. I care about him too much to let him be hurt because of me so I'm not going to say anything, I'm trying to hold my feelings back but it's hard." May couldn't continue as tears began to fall. Misty hugged her and Gary put his hand back on her shoulder. Misty was about to talk to May, to try and help her when the door of the Gym flew open.

"Where's the Gym leader? I'm here for my badge!" Misty, Gary and May turned around to see a ten year old boy standing in the door way with a cocky grin on his face.

"I'm the Gym Leader." Misty said feeling slightly angry about this kid interrupting their conversation.

"You? This will be easy you're just a girl." The boy said. A vein throbbed on Misty's forehead.

"Gary, do you have my Pokémon or has Ash got them?" Gary held out the Pokéballs knowing that this kid was in a world of trouble. Gary's eyes widened when he saw which Pokéball Misty took from him.

"Alright then kid let's see what you can do. 3 on 3 battle, only you're allowed to switch Pokémon alright." Misty said as she walked to her side of the pool. Gary stood on the Referee's podium.

"Trainers send out your first Pokémon." He said

"I'm taking you down," the kid said, "Go Paras." Misty flinched when she saw the bug type but kept her composure.

"This won't take long. Go Gyarados."

May was going to watch the battle when she felt Glaceon rub against her leg, looking down at her Pokémon she saw that Glaceon wanted her to follow. May walked after Glaceon until she noticed where they were going. They stopped just outside the room where Ash was training, May saw that most of the Pokémon were training except for Pikachu and Meowth. They were stood in front of Ash who was sitting on a bench.

"I messed up there didn't I." She heard Ash say. Pikachu nodded.

"Yeah you did Ash." Meowth said, "Before we followed you it looked like May was going to cry." Ash dropped his head into his hands.

"I need to do something to make up for it don't I?" Meowth nodded

"You need to take your mind off it, let's do some training and think about it later." The Cat Pokémon said. Ash nodded and took out his Pokédex.

"Let's see what moves you've got." Ash said

"Spearow is unable to battle, the challenger is out of usable Pokémon. The winner of the match is Misty and Gyarados." Gary said as the boy returned his Pokémon, he turned and walked out of the Gym without saying a word. Misty was going to go after him but Gary stopped her.

"Leave him, he need to work this out on his own." Misty nodded and then they started to talk about Gary's research.

May backed away from the door and smiled a little, she walked to the room she was staying in and started to look through her clothes to see what she could wear for their 'date'. May scratched her head and realised that she was still wearing Ash's hat, she lifted it from her head and looked at it. It was the hat Ash wore in Hoenn and Kanto when he competed in the Battle Frontier, May smiled as the memories of their time travelling together flooded into her mind. She gently put the hat on her pillow and started to sing to herself as she continued to look through her clothes.

'_Meowth, the Scratch Cat Pokémon, adoring round and shiny objects, Meowth wander the streets at night looking for loose change. Withdrawing their claws allows Meowth to slink around silently without leaving footprints. Move known: Scratch, Fury Swipes, Slash and Thunderbolt._'

"You know Thunderbolt?" Ash asked looking at Meowth.

"I do?"

"You didn't know? Pikachu can help you work out how to use it but how did you learn it in the first place?"

"I must've learnt it by being blasted off so much."

"What do you mean?"

"The amount of Thunderbolts I've been hit with I must've started to absorb the energy until I learnt how to use it, without knowing."

"Alright, Meowth you and Pikachu find a spot to work on Thunderbolt while I go and see how the other are getting on." The Pokémon nodded and went to train. Ash stood up and went over to Krookodile and Sandshrew, he saw that Krookodile had Sandshrew working on his agility by firing weak attacks at him. Ash watched them for a while and gave them some tips on where they might need some improvement and encouraging them, he then walked over to see Lucario and Grimm. They were working on increasing Absol's speed and strength by running laps around the pool while pulling some of the weights Ash found in the room, they weren't overly heavy weights but there were enough to give Grimm a challenge. Ash ran with them for a while once again giving tips on where to improve and encouragement, when Ash looked at the clock he realised that he had been training for a couple of hours and told the Pokémon to stop. Ash was about to go tell everyone he would start making some food when Meowth and Pikachu walked up to him smiling, just before he walked out of the door.

"I've got it." Meowth said happily, "I can use Thunderbolt. It needs a little work though"

"That's great Meowth, let's see it. Try and hit this weight." Ash said pointing to a weight next to him. Meowth nodded and took a few steps back he closed his eyes, electricity started to crackle around his body after a few seconds he managed to fire a Thunderbolt but his aim was off and it flew towards the door, just as May was about to enter the room.

"Hey Ash can we taAAAAAHHH!" May screamed as she saw the attack coming towards her, she squeezed her eyes tightly shut and waited to feel the attack hit but it never did. Through her closed eyes she could still see the light from the attack, after it had died she slowly opened her eyes and saw that Ash was standing in front of her smoke slowly rising from his shoulders. He had jumped in front of the attack, he had taken the hit for her. Ash coughed and dropped down on to one knee, May knelt down next to him.

"Ash, Ash are you alright?" She asked franticly as she could see some of the electricity still sparking around him. Meowth and Pikachu ran up to Ash, Pikachu immediately tried to absorb some of the electricity and Meowth wore a look of shame.

"May, what's wrong? Why did you scream?" Misty said as she and Gary came into the room, "What happened?"

"I don't know I came in to talk to Ash and I saw a Thunderbolt coming towards me. I closed my eyes and when I opened them Ash was in front of me, he jumped in front of the attack. He was hurt again because of me."

"Where did the attack come from? Pikachu wouldn't do something like that."

"It was me," Meowth said, "Ash scanned me with his Pokédex and it said I knew Thunderbolt, so Pikachu was helping me learn how to use it. I finally learn how and Ash wanted me to show him but I need to work on by aim." Meowth turned to look at Ash, "I'm sorry Ash I didn't meant to hurt you or anyone else." Ash coughed again and looked at Meowth

"It's alright Meowth we can work on your aim and you should be proud that was nearly as strong as Pikachu's." He said, making Meowth smile a little.

"Like what was all the noise for?" Misty turned around and saw that her sister were walking into the room. When they saw Ash on the floor they ran over to him, surrounding him and pushing everyone else out of the way.

"What happened to you Ashy?" asked Daisy as she pulled Ash's face into her chest.

"Don't worry we'll look after you." Said Violet taking Ash from Daisy and pulling him into her own chest.

"We'll take you to your room so you can rest." Lily said as she followed her sisters action and pulled Ash into her chest. May fumed and pushed them all out of the way.

"You aren't taking him anywhere. Lucario can you help me get Ash out of here?" May said. Lucario nodded and looked to Krookodile gesturing for him to help. Lucario got one side of Ash and Krookodile got the other they both put one of Ash's arms over their shoulders and lifted him to his feet then slowly started to walk him to his room. May and the rest of Ash's Pokémon followed them out, Misty's sisters were about to follow when Pikachu turned and glared at them, his cheeks sparked a little. They were about to walk past when Misty stopped them.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." She said

"Like why not?" asked Violet.

"Because even though Pikachu is small and cute, he's still strong enough to take down Gyarados in a few minutes. Without using his electric attacks." Misty's sisters took a step back and looked at Pikachu with a mixture of awe and fear. Pikachu sparked is cheeks a bit more then turned and left the room.

May opened the door and walked into the room closely followed by Lucario and Krookodile who were still carrying Ash.

"May, I'm fine, after being shocked by Pikachu so much I think I might've turned into a ground type." Ash started to laugh but it soon turned into a cough, "It's been a while since Pikachu last shocked me so I guess it's hit me a little harder." May turned to the Pokémon.

"Can you put Ash on the bed please?" They did as May asked and lower Ash onto the bed. May then turned to look at Ash. "Why?"

"Why what?" Ash asked.

"Why did you jump in front of the attack?" Lucario gestured to Krookodile and they both left the room.

"You would've been hurt." Ash said as if it was obvious, "I promised your parents that I wouldn't let you get hurt and I meant it."

"But you keep getting hurt because of me, first Team Rocket then in Rota you sent Lucario to protect me during the contest, you told all the Pokémon to keep me safe when Mew attacked and now you jumped in front of a Thunderbolt. I can't take seeing you get hurt because of me, if you keep doing it then I don't think we should travel together anymore." Ash stared at May and could see tears in the corners of her eyes, he slowly raised himself on to his elbows.

"May sit down," May sat on the bed by Ash, "I don't want to stop travelling with you. I don't want to see you get hurt, you're my best friend and I will do whatever I have to, to keep you safe. The same goes for Misty, Gary, Brock, everyone I've met, everyone I care about I'll do anything I need to if it means keeping them safe." Ash put his hand on May's cheek and brushed away a tear with his thumb. "Don't cry, I'll be alright. See I'm fine." Ash said waving his arm around and pulling a couple of faces making May giggle. She gave Ash a quick hug and got off the bed.

"You get some rest, I'll bring you some food in a little while then if you feel up to it we'll go out tonight. If you still want to."

"Okay May I will and if you still want to go out then I'm okay with that." Ash said with a smile, May returned the smile.

"It'll be fun. We can talk later about which movie we want to see. Now rest, I'll see you later." May turned and walked out of the room leaving Ash alone with his thoughts.

_'Why did I touch May's face?'_ He'd done it on impulse wanting to get rid of May's tears. Ash lay back on the bed resting his head of the pillow and shook the thought from his head and turning them to how his Pokémon had done during their training. May came back to the room after half an hour to give Ash some food and saw that he had drifted off to sleep so she left the food on the bedside table and left the room closing the doo behind her.

* * *

**So that's the end of Chapter 11**

**Current teams are**

**Ash:- Pikachu, Lucario, Krookodile, Sandshrew, Meowth and Grimm (Absol)**

**May:- Glaceon, Blaziken, Munchlax, Beautifly, Wartortle, Mawile**

**Remember let me know what you think.**

**I'm in the process of writing up the Move combinations I'm not sure when I'll post it but I will be up eventually.**

**Until next time**

**Basic Trainer**


	12. Chapter 12

**Here we are again, Chapter 12.**

**Current teams are**

**Ash:- Pikachu, Lucario, Krookodile, Sandshrew, Meowth and Grimm (Absol)**

**May:- Glaceon, Blaziken, Munchlax, Beautifly, Wartortle, Mawile**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 12

First 'Date'

May was walking through the Cerulean City Gym on her way to check on Ash, it had been a couple of hours since she found him asleep and left the food in his room. May was carrying Ash's hat in her hands, she wanted to give it back to him and ask why it was his favourite. As she approached his door she smiled at Gary, she had asked him to keep an eye on Ash as she didn't trust Misty's sisters. Gary was sat on the floor next to the door working on his laptop, he looked up when he heard her footsteps.

"Hi Gary, is he still asleep?" She said.

"Hi May, I think so I've not heard anything from inside." Gary replied.

"Thanks for looking out for him."

"No problem. He's a little freaked out about how Misty's sisters are acting around him and other girls." Gary said muttering the last three words under his breath. "Do you want me to give you some privacy while you're in there?" May's face turned bright red, her mouth dropped open in shock and she started to get angry when Gary asked that. Gary realised what he had said and quickly rephrased what he meant. "I mean to you to talk with him privately or do you want me to keep watch?" May calmed down a little at that but was still bright red.

"It's okay, you can go if you want." May said. Gary got off the floor and started to walk away. He turned back just before May walked through the door.

"Does Ash know his girlfriend's got a dirty mind?" he asked with a teasing grin. May glared at him and was about to chase him when she smiled, Gary was confused by her smile and slowly turned around. The last thing he saw was Misty's mallet flying towards his face, Gary bounced off the wall and fell to the ground, Misty dragged him away smiling at May. May giggled a little then walked into the room slowly closing the door behind her. She walked up to the bed quietly and saw that Ash was still asleep, but knew he'd woken up at some point because the food she had left had been eaten. May smiled when she saw how peaceful Ash looked while he was asleep, she put a hand on his shoulder and gently shook him.

"Five more minutes." Ash groaned, as he turned over facing her. May giggled and shook him again, this time a little harder. Ash's eyes flew open as he grabbed her wrist and turned pulling May over him and turning so he was kneeling over her holding her wrists in his hands above her head. Taken by surprise May squealed in fright, as she found herself trapped under Ash's bodyweight. Even though the sudden shift in position had scared May, the thing that scared her more was how she felt being held like this by Ash, she felt safe and a near overwhelming sense of passion. Ash could see in May's eyes that she was scared by what had happened and he was as well he could've hurt her, Ash was about to get off of her and apologise when he became lost in the glistening sapphires that were her eyes, not knowing why, he found that he was starting to lean forward towards her lips. May notice Ash's actions and felt that she should stop him but she didn't want to and became lost in the moment moving her lips to meet his.

"May, what's going on?" Misty said as she ran into the room wielding her mallet in defence. When she saw how Ash and May were positioned her face flushed, Misty tightened her grip on her mallet and swung at Ash. "Ash Ketchum, what do you think you're doing?!" she yelled. Ash reacting off instinct rolled off the bed taking May with him so she didn't get hit, as he landed on the floor he jumped up standing over May in a defensive stance ready to fight.

"Misty, what are you doing you could've hit May!" Ash yelled. Misty lowered her mallet but kept it pointed at Ash.

"What were you doing on top of May?" Misty said angrily.

"I reacted. When I was doing my Aura training Riley would test my reaction at random times, when May shook me my reactions took over and I trained to get on top of whoever was shaking me. Then you came in and attacked me, what did you think I was doing?"

"Well I...er...I thought you were hurting May." Misty said as she turned a brighter shade of red.

"Why would I hurt May, she's my friend?" Ash relaxed his stance offered May his hand, she took it and Ash helped her off of the floor.

"I don't know but that's what it looked like."

"Just calm down both of you, it was my fault I shouldn't of woken Ash like that. Ash just reacted that's all." May said trying to resolve the situation. Misty put her mallet away (**AN wherever it is she gets it from**) and walked a little further into the room.

"Sorry Ash, are you feeling any better now?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm used to being shocked." Ash said with a laugh, Misty and May joined in with the laughter.

"So, you alright?" May asked.

"I'm fine look," Ash said waking his arms around, "see everything still works." Ash got out of the bed and turned to May. "Sorry for…you know…" Ash started, his cheeks tinted slightly red. May blushed and looked at the ground bumping her fingertips together.

"That's alright Ash, It's my fault I shouldn't have woken you up like that." She replied quietly. Misty smirked at the way they were reacting around each other, she decided to try and ease the situation.

"Hey Ash, do you want to see how your Pokémon are getting on with their training?" She said.

"What'd mean Misty?"

"While you've been resting all you Pokémon have been training non-stop they haven't even eaten their lunch yet. I think they want to show you what they can really do, especially Meowth he's training the hardest. May's had her Pokémon helping out as well, right May?" Misty said looking at May. May kept staring at the ground to hide her blush but nodded her head.

"Thanks May. Let's go see how their doing." Ash said rushing out of the room. Misty and May were left looking at the place were Ash was standing seconds before, they both sighed knowing that the only thing that Ash loved more than food was his Pokémon.

"You okay May?" Misty asked softly. May lifted her gaze from the floor and looked at the Gym Leader, Misty was able to see the blush that covered May's face.

"I'm fine, it's just…" May started shyly.

"It's okay May, you don't have to say it I know what you mean. You got lost in the moment didn't you?" Misty said, May looked at the floor again and nodded. Misty put a hand on May's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "Just give it time, he'll come around. I know he likes you he just need time to realise it, come on let's go see the Pokémon." May nodded again before crouching down to pick up Ash's hat and then both May and Misty followed Ash to the room the Pokémon were training in.

* * *

Ash stood in the door way of the room his Pokémon were training in and he was amazed at what he saw. Meowth was still practicing his aim with Krookodile as the target, Lucario and Blaziken were helping Mawile increase her strength and stamina, Pikachu was busy teaching Iron Tail to Sandshrew and Grimm and the other Pokémon were working helping out where they could. Ash saw the bowls of food still full sitting at the edge of the room. Ash smiled when he saw a familiar yellow Pokémon holding their head in the middle of the room, Psyduck was trying to help out where possible by moving swimming floats around the room for the other to use as targets to practice what they were learning.

Ash took a step into the room and was tackled by a yellow blur.

"PIKAPI!" Ash was knocked a couple of steps backwards before he regained his balance and walked into the room.

"It's good to see you to Pikachu." He said, all the Pokémon in the room stopped what they were doing and looked at Ash. "I'm okay guys, Misty and May told me you've been training hard and haven't eaten your lunch yet, so take a break." The Pokémon nodded and did as Ash said, stopping their training they walked over to the bowls and started to eat. Pikachu stayed in Ash's arms settling himself against his brothers chest.

"Hey Ash." Ash turned around to see Meowth stood behind him, "I'm sorry about what happened, you've done a lot for me and all I've done is let you down and now I've hurt you. If you want to turn me over to Officer Jenny I'll understand." Meowth said while wearing a look of shame. Keeping hold of Pikachu, Ash knelt down to Meowth's level.

"Meowth, you've got no reason to be sorry. When we were in Rota you saved me from a Fire Blast. I'm not going to turn you in to Officer Jenny, I meant what I said before all you need to do is work on your aim and you're close to Pikachu's level power wise."

"Yeah about that, the last few times I've used Thunderbolt it's not as strong as it was before. I think it's because of the amount of Thunderbolts I've taken over the years the electricity had built up, now I've used that power I'm down to my normal power level." Meowth said.

"That's alright we can work on it, you'll have it down in no time and then we can work on the power. If you want to."

"Yeah I want to but I really am sorry about what happened." Ash put a hand on Meowth's shoulder and smiled.

"Come on, let's work on that Thunderbolt." Ash said. He then stood up and walked over to Psyduck. "Hey Psyduck, long time no see." The Duck Pokémon looked at Ash blankly, "Don't you remember me Psyduck?" Ash asked.

"He won't remember you Ash." Ash turned around and saw Misty and May entering the room, "That's not the Psyduck you know," Misty said, "This is." Misty took a Pokéball from her belt pocket and threw it into the air. The ball opened and released a bright white light when the light coalesced Ash was shocked.

"Golduck!" Standing in front of Ash was a blue duck-like Pokémon with webbed hands and feet, a small round red jewel set in his forehead.

"Psyduck evolved!" Ash said in surprise, Misty nodded.

"That's right. Not long after you left on your solo journey, I was in the middle of a Gym Battle with a really powerful trainer. I was about to send Gyarados out onto the field and Psyduck jumped out of his ball, I thought that the battle was over then. I tried to call Psyduck back so he wouldn't get hurt but he kept running around so the beam kept missing. The trainer hit him with a Hyper Beam knocking him into the water, after a few seconds he didn't surface and I was about to dive in to get him out when the water started glowing, then he reappeared as Golduck. I asked him if he wanted to continue, he said yes and we won the battle. Since then he's been one of my strongest battlers."

"Then where did you get this Psyduck?" Ash asked. Misty laughed nervously before answering.

"Heh heh I sort of caught her the same way I caught Golduck. I was doing some training just outside of the city about a year ago and a ball must've fell out of my bag, when we stopped for a break I saw Psyduck walking towards it and peck it. She was sucked inside it and that's that, She's not much more of a battler then Golduck was but at least she knows how to swim." Golduck sweatdropped, Misty saw him and smiled, "Sorry but you know it's true." Golduck smiled back and gave her a thumbs up.

Ash laughed and then introduced himself to Psyduck and was about to start training when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning round he saw May stood behind him shaking her head.

"Oh no you don't." She said, "You've been asleep for most of the afternoon and you need to…er…get ready."

"Get ready? For what?" Ash asked in a confused tone. May paused slightly before speaking, gathering her nerves.

"For our…you know…date." She replied quietly.

"Oh yeah," Ash said sheepishly rubbing the back of his head, "I forgot about that. What do I need to do?"

"All you need to do is dress up a little, you know put a shirt on stuff like that. Oh and you need to be ready in a couple of hours, so no training I know that you lose track of time when you train. See you in a couple of hours, I'm going to get ready."

"Now? You said we've got a couple of hours."

"Ash, you should know by now that it takes a girl time to get ready." _Especially for their first date._ May thought to herself as she turned and walked to leave the room, a light blush caressing her cheeks. "One last thing Ash," she said without turning round, "You can't wear you hat." May left the room with Ash watching her retreating form, Misty followed behind her after noticing the way Ash watched May leave. Glaceon followed May out of the room after taking one last look at Pikachu.

Ash stayed where he was for a minute until a small shock from Pikachu brought him back to reality, he turned to all the Pokémon.

"Everyone that's enough training for today, get some rest." Ash returned his Krookodile, Sandshrew and Grimm before he left the room with Pikachu on his shoulder and Meowth walking with Lucario behind him.

"So Ash, where are we going?" Meowth asked. Ash didn't answer, he kept walking but closed his eyes and concentrated his Aura, after a minute he opened his eyes and started to walk a little faster until he came to a door. Ash opened the door and found Gary propped up against a water filtering tank, kneeling down Ash could see the imprint of Misty's mallet on Gary's face. Shaking Gary awake Ash helped him up.

"Hey, Ash," Gary said groggily, "What happened? Last thing I remember is getting my first Pokémon from Grandpa. Why do you look old?" Ash held his hand behind Gary's head and let his Aura pool in it, once his hand was glowing blue he put in on the back of Gary's head and concentrated. After a couple of minutes Ash took his hand away and leaned against the tank sweat slowly trickling down his face. Gary shook his head and looked at Ash, "You alright Ash? You look like you've just ran a marathon, twice." He asked. Ash nodded his head too tired to speak, while Ash couldn't heal serious injuries like Riley did with his shoulders, Ash was able to heal smaller ones, cuts and bruises mostly but he could also heal concussions though it took a lot of his energy to do so. Lucario walked up to Ash and placed a paw on Ash's chest and used Heal Pulse. When the light from Heal Pulse died down Ash was feeling a lot better, he turned to Gary and was about to talk to him when he started to laugh.

"What's so funny Ash?" Gary asked, Ash couldn't stop laughing and simply pointed at Gary's face. Gary turned, looking into the reflective surface of the filtration tank and saw why Ash was laughing. His face was covered with a large red circular mark from Misty's mallet.

"L-Lucario, u-us-use Heal P-Pu-Pulse on Gary." Ash laughed, the Aura Pokémon did as he was asked and soon the red mark on Gary's face was gone. It took Ash a minute to stop laughing and he turned to Gary, "Gary, I need help." He said, "I need to get ready for this thing with May and I don't know what to do."

"Alright I'll help," Gary said seeing the desperation in Ash's eyes and also seeing an opportunity to help his friends realise his feelings, "What are you doing on the date?"

"May said something about a movie, dinner and then maybe a walk. She said I need to dress up a little and wear a shirt, she's not letting me wear my hat either."

"Right I know what you'll need to wear, that won't take long. First we need to get you prepared for what you need to do."

"What I need to do? What'd you mean by that?"

"Ashy boy, you're going to make this the best date May's ever had." Gary put his arm over Ash's shoulders and started to tell him the sort of things he would need to know. Ash paled slightly when Gary mentioned the kiss at the end of a date but soon recovered when Gary told him that was what happened on normal date but didn't have to happen on his. When they got to Ash's room they went inside so Gary could help Ash pick the clothes he'd need.

* * *

May was standing in Misty's room with the clothes from her bag all over Misty's bed and now she was searching Misty's closet for something to wear, as soon as she had left the Ash alone in the room she started to stress about the date. Misty was trying her best to calm May down but having little success, Glaceon would have helped but she was currently buried under a pile of Misty's dresses.

"What am I going to wear?" May said.

"May, calm down," Misty said, "take a deep breath and relax. We've still got time to find something," Misty pulled May away from the closet and sat her on the bed. "You sit there and try on whatever I give you." May nodded and waited. She was really nervous about the date she knew it wasn't meant to be a real date, even though she wanted it to be. Misty had closed the Gym for the rest of the day when she saw how agitated May was getting about the date. May sat on the bed hundreds of different scenarios flooded her mind, she saw ones where Ash returned her affections, ones where Drew appeared and took her away from Ash by force, ones where Ash walked of with someone else and every other possible outcome, she was snapped out of her trance when a blouse landed over her head.

"May, try that on with these." Misty said, May took the blouse off her head just in time to see a pair of jeans flying towards her.

* * *

"Right, now that you know what you're wearing, I'll tell you what you need to do." Gary said as he looked at Ash.

"I thought it would've taken longer to choose the clothes." Ash replied.

"It took longer than I thought it would, you really need to get some new clothes Ash. A guy doesn't need more then five minutes to pick their clothes for a date unless it's a fancy one."

"Fancy one?"

"Yeah like going to a posh restaurant or a wedding stuff like that then you need to take a little longer to pick what you're wearing cause you need to look your best. Anyway first thing you need to do is give May some flowers preferably roses."

"No, not roses. May doesn't like them." Ash said. Gary's eyebrow rose when he heard the confidence in Ash's voice.

"Really, I would've thought she'd love roses. What flowers does she like?" Gary asked. Ash shrugged his shoulders

"I don't know, should I ask her?"

"No, you need to surprise her with the flowers."

"Surprise her? Why?"

"Do you like seeing her smile?"

"Yeah." Ash said uneasily as he felt his face heat up.

"Then give her the flowers. She'll smile, trust me."

"Okay but what sort?"

"You're mom's the gardener so think about May, how she acts, what she's like, what she likes. Then think about what type of flower's she'd like." Ash was quiet for nearly five minutes before he spoke.

"What about Tulips?"

"Your date, your choice."

"I'll get her Tulips."

"No, I'll get her the flowers later when you're getting changed. There's other stuff you need to know first."

"Like what?"

"Like you need to..."

* * *

An hour later both May and Ash were getting themselves ready for their date, Misty was waiting to help May with her hair after she got out of the shower and Gary had gone to get Ash flower for May and something to make it a special evening. Misty saw Gary walking down the corridor with the flowers in hand.

"Is he going to go through with your idea?" Misty asked.

"Yeah, just went to get what he needs. Arceus help them but it's all up to Ash now." Gary replied as he walked past giving Misty a high five, when they found out about the bet they decided to use it to help Ash realise his feelings for May and for May to confess how she felt.

Half an hour later and Ash was ready, he was waiting by the doors of the Gym for May to finish getting ready, his hand was behind him back so May wouldn't see the flowers. He could feel his heart racing as the seconds ticked by, Ash had been trying to use the calming exercises that he used while meditating on his Aura but nothing was working. Gary put a reassuring hand on Ash's shoulder to try and help calm him. Ash had left Pikachu, Meowth and Lucario in his room and told them to listen to Misty while he was gone. Lucario had only agreed to stay if Ash took his other Pokémon with him and call for help through his Aura if he got into trouble no matter how big or small.

"Remember what I said, just be yourself and you'll be fine." Gary said, "Oh and don't mention her sister or her mom." He added with a grin. Ash laughed a little and managed to calm himself down a bit. A couple of minutes passed when he heard footsteps coming towards him, Ash looked in that direction and saw Misty walking down the corridor. Ash was about to ask where May was when Misty moved to the side and he saw May walking behind her. May was wearing a red blouse, dark blue jeans and her blue trainers, she had a dark red handbag on her shoulder, she was carrying a blue jacket and Ash notice that she was wearing his hat.

"Hey Ash, ready to go?" she asked, as she looked over what Ash had on. Ash was wearing his jeans and a black short sleeved shirt with the first button undone, his shirt showed off some of his muscles. He was also wearing his trainer and his leather jacket, May notice that he had tried to comb his hair but had little success as it made his hair look even more wild then usual although she thought it looked good on him. Gary nudged Ash and pointed to the hand May couldn't see, Ash nodded and brought his hand from behind his back revealing a small bunch of light blue Tulips. It was only at that point that Ash realised that the colour of the Tulips matched the colour of May's eyes. May's eyes lit up when she saw the flowers, she smiled and took them from Ash. _I guess Gary was right she did smile. _Ash thought.

"Oh Ash you didn't need to, how did you know that Tulips are my favourite?" she said as she smelt the flowers.

"Lucky guess." Ash replied, Misty took the flower from May telling her that she'd put them in some water. On impulse Ash pulled one Tulip from the bunch cut the stalk short and placed it in May's hair, just above her ear. Gary and Misty were shocked seeing Ash do this and May started to blush.

"Why'd you do that Ash?" she asked.

"I don't know, I just thought it would look good on you. If you don't like it I'll take it out." Ash said reaching for the Tulip.

"No, I do like it," May said pulling away from Ash's hand, "I just wondered why you did it." May could feel the looks that were coming from Gary and Misty, "Come on Ash let's go otherwise we'll miss the movie." May linked her arm with Ash's and together they walked out of the door. Once they were out of sight Gary and Misty turned to face each other and grinned.

"I think we did it." Gary said holding his hand out to Misty.

"Yeah, I think we did." Misty said back, shaking Gary's hand. As they shook hands on a job well done, neither of them notice the slight blush on the other cheeks.

"So what movie are we going to see May?" Ash asked once they left the Gym.

"There were two movies I thought we might go and see one is Spiritombed Away and the other is Sleepless in Saffron."

"Which one do you want to see most?"

"Well, Sleepless in Saffron but you probably won't like that one."

"Why not?"

"It's more for girls than guys."

"I don't mind. I still owe you for saving me from that Flamethrower in Rota so we'll see that movie and I'll pay."

"Misty's sisters said they'd pay for it, it was part of the bet."

"I talked to them and told them not to. I said that I wanted to treat you to a night out." May turned her face away from Ash to hide her blush. Ash and May walked in silence till they reached the movie theatre, they went inside to but their tickets but were told that the movie would be delayed for about an hour as during the previous screening a group of people had started a food fight and it would take time to clean up. Ash bought the tickets and picked up a brochure of movies that were coming soon, on the front cover was and advert for Kung Foo Pancham.

"What are we going to do while we're waiting for the movie?" Ash asked.

"There's a bar down the street, let's go get a drink." May suggested, Ash nodded and they linked arms again as they went to the bar. Ash bought their drinks, he got a Pepsi and May got an Iced Tea, they sat at a table and started to chat about what they were going to do next. May had heard of a contest being held in Drummond Town which was on they way to Vermillion City, they continued talking and after a few minutes May saw that a Karaoke machine had been set up on the small stage inside the bar, she pointed it out to Ash.

"Hey Ash, why don't you get up and sing something?" she said. Ash looked at her and was about to say no but when he looked into her eyes he felt his resolve crumble, he sighed.

"What do you want me to sing?" he asked. May thought for a minute before replying.

"Something with a good beat." She said.

"I don't know that one," Ash said smiling, "I'll tell them to pick one at random." Ash was about to stand up when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Hi Ash, what are you doing here?" asked a female voice, turning round in his seat Ash saw a group of girls behind him and the one with her hand on his shoulder was the girl he'd met earlier in the day.

"Hi Jenny, I'm just here getting a drink before going to see a movie." He replied.

"Ooo, I love a good movie mind if I come along?" Ash was about to reply and tell her he was out with someone when May interrupted.

"Ash, who's this?" she asked trying to hold her anger back, she wanted this might to be between the two of them and was annoyed by this girl intruding on their time together. May could see that Jenny's hand was rubbing Ash's shoulder and she was trying to discretely flaunt her body to Ash but with Ash being Ash didn't notice.

"This is Jenny, me and Gary met her this morning when we were coming back from the Pokémon Centre." He answered.

"Who are you?" Jenny asked May, finally noticing that Ash wasn't alone at his table.

"Hi, I'm May, Ash's **girlfriend**." she said emphasising her connection to Ash. Jenny looked over May and sneered, "If you don't mind we're on a **date** and we'd like to be alone."

"I think it's Ash's decision not yours." Both girls looked at Ash for an answer, Ash could feel sweat rolling down his spine under the fierce glare from Jenny and the almost pleading eyes of May. He looked between them and said.

"Jenny, would you mind leaving us alone. It's been a while since it's just been me and May, we want to spend sometime together so its just the two of us." May tried to hide her smile but had little success as Jenny took an involuntary step back, her friends covering their mouths in shock. Jenny had never not gotten what she wanted, being the daughter of Cerulean City's Mayor she always be able to get anything she wanted.

"You choosing her over me?" she said shocked, "Why? I'm better looking, smarter and I have lots of money, why are you staying with her?" Jenny pointed a finger at May as her voice was getting louder and louder, May was about to start shouting as well when Ash stood up and glared at Jenny.

"You're not better looking or smarter then May and I don't care how much money you have. May is my girlfriend and I won't leave her for anyone else, now please leave us alone so we can enjoy our date." Ash said in a calm and even tone. May's could feel tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes as they sparkled when she heard Ash's words.

"How dare you! I will have your Gym Badge taken away from you. Now leave her and come with me! I am the Mayor's daughter I own this town and I will not be denied." Jenny nearly shouted, drawing the attention of the people at the surrounding tables.

"You can take my badge away?" Ash said sounding slightly worried. Jenny was about to start shouting again when May interrupted.

"No she can't. The Pokémon League rules state that once a Gym Badge had been rightfully earned it can only be taken away by a majority ruling from a Pokémon League Committee, once they've heard the reasons why the Badge is to be revoked. The Mayor of the town or city the Gym is situated in has no influence in the giving or revoking of a Badge." She said.

"How'd you know that?" Jenny asked angrily

"I'm the daughter of the Petalburg Gym Leader, I've learnt a lot about being a Gym Leader from hearing my brother going on about it for the last few years." May replied, "Now like Ash said leave us alone so we can enjoy our date." Jenny frowned and stormed off with her friends following her, May turned to Ash crossing her arms over her chest. "How do you know her?" she asked angrily, Ash could feel the anger rolling from her with his Aura.

"After the Gym Battle when I took my Pokémon to the Pokémon Centre on the way back, she came over and started talking to me. Gary said she was flirting with me but I told her that you were my girlfriend, then I left and went back to the Gym. If you don't believe me ask Gary, he told me not to say anything because you'd be angry and I didn't want you to feel like that." Ash explained. May stayed quiet for a minute just staring at Ash before giving him a small smile.

"It's okay Ash, I believe you I just wish you'd told me before now. You can make it up to me by going and singing." May said, Ash smiled in response, he walked up to the stage and spoke to the man by the Karaoke machine.

"My friend has asked me to sing something with a good beat. Can you pick something for me please?" Ash asked.

"That your friend?" the man replied pointing at May, Ash nodded. "Don't worry kid, I got you covered. Just go to the mic and I'll set it up." The man jerked his thumb in the direction of the microphone, Ash thanked him and walked up to the mic. As the music started playing and the words appeared on the screen Ash took the microphone from the stand, he then noticed that May had moved from their table and was standing in near the edge of the stage waiting for him to start singing. He took a deep breath and relaxed as it came to when he had to start singing.

_(Oo, oo, oo, oo) x4 _

_My heart is racing, _

_She puts her hands on mine,_

_I feel them shaking, _

_I look into her eyes, _

_And I tell her that it's gonna be alright, _

_And I'm never ever gonna make you cry,_

_I'll fix your broken heart,_

_I'll make it beat again, _

_I'll never let you down, _

_on me you can depend, _

_And I tell her that we'll always be this way, _

_Everyday she's the one that makes me wanna say, _

Ash could feel his nerves getting to him, he took the mic from the stand and started to walk around the stage to calm himself. He tried to focus on the music, to become lost in it so that nothing else existed. May could see Ash was nervous and started to regret asking him to sing but as the song continued she saw that he saw starting to relax into it.

_(Oo oo, oo, oo) _

_You're taking over me! _

_(Oo, oo, oo, oo) _

_I'm in ectasty, _

_(Oo, oo, oo, oo) _

_I just can't believe the love, the love, the love, _

_It's taking over me! _

_The love, the love, the love, _

_It's taking over me! _

Ash saw that people were starting to look to the stage and a couple of them had started dancing, he decided to put on a little bit of a show and walked up to the edge of the stage. He started to tap his foot and move with the beat.

_If I close my eyes, _

_I can see your smile, _

_I can hear the laugh, _

_I love and I can't get enough, _

_I can pull you closer in a moment, _

_just like this,_

_I can stop the world, _

_with only just your kiss, _

As Ash said the last line his eyes locked with May's causing both of them to look away and blush.

_(Oo, oo, oo, oo) _

_You're taking over me! _

_(Oo, oo, oo, oo) _

_I'm in ecstasy, _

_(Oo, oo, oo, oo) _

_I just can't believe the love, the love, the love, _

_It's taking over me! _

_The love, the love, the love, _

_It's taking over me! _

_(Taking over me) x4 _

Ash kept singing and moving around the stage, a couple of time he made May giggle as he spun on the spot. He was starting to have fun and smiled as he sang. May could see some of the girls in the bar had come closer to the stage to get closer to Ash, she could feel her anger rising. She knew she was jealous but she had no one to blame except herself because she asked Ash to sing.

_Touch my skin with your body, _

_Love is taking over me, _

_Touch my skin with your body, _

_Love is taking over me! _

May blushed again and had to push aside the mental image of holding Ash while in a loving embrace.

_(Oo, oo, oo, oo) _

_You're taking over me! _

_(Oo, oo, oo, oo) _

_I'm in ectasty, _

_(yeah, yeah) _

_(Oo, oo, oo, oo) _

_I just can't believe the love, the love, the love, _

_It's taking over me! _

_It's taking over me! _

_I'm in ecstasy! _

_I just can't believe the love, the love, the love, _

_It's taking over me! _

_The love, the love, the love, _

_It's taking over me! _

Ash stopped moving round the stage and slowly walked up the front, he stopped just out of arms reach from the edge of the stage.

_Touch my skin with your body, _

_Love is taking over me, _

_Touch my skin with your body, _

_Love is taking over me!_

As Ash finished the last note he noticed that everyone in the bar was now looking at the stage, applauding and cheering for him. He saw May in amongst a group of girls who were staring and reaching for him, a wicked glint appeared in Ash's eyes he walked over to the man by the karaoke machine and spoke to him. No one could hear what he said over the crowd, the man smiled and nodded. He took the mic from Ash.

"Ladies and gentlemen please give this young man a round of applause for such an amazing performance. Please sir take a bow." The man said, Ash shrugged his shoulder and walked to the front of the stage, as he bowed saw May clapping and reached out to grab her hand. May was shocked and didn't resist when he pulled her onto the stage.

"Now it's your turn." Ash whispered in her ear sending a shiver down her spine. Ash took the mic from the man and gave it to May, the man quickly selected a song and played it, Ash moved to the side of the stage and watched her. Before the music started playing May gave Ash a dirty look before turning to the crowd and waiting for the music. A guitar riff started playing and when the words appeared she started to sing.

Guess this means you're sorry

You're standing at my door

Guess this means you take back

All you said before 

Like how much you wanted

Anyone but me 

Said you'd never come back

But here you are again

May stole a glimpse of Ash as she relaxed into the song, being a Co-Ordinator made it easier for May to perform on a stage then Ash.

'Cause we belong together now, yeah

Forever united here somehow, yeah

You got a piece of me 

And honestly 

My life (my life) would suck (would suck) without you

May was really starting to get into the rhythm of the song, she began to dance around, moving with the beat. Ash could almost feel himself being hypnotised by May's hips as he watched them swaying from side to side.

Maybe I was stupid for telling you goodbye

Maybe I was wrong for trying to pick a fight

I know that I've got issues

But you're pretty messed up too

Either way I found out

I'm nothing without you

During the last line May looked directly at Ash, hoping that he understood just how much he had influenced her life.

'Cause we belong together now, yeah

Forever united here somehow, yeah

You got a piece of me 

And honestly 

My life (my life) would suck (would suck) without you

Being with you is so dysfunctional

I really shouldn't miss you

But I can't let you go

Oh, yeah

May walked over to Ash and tried to drag him on to the stage with her but he resisted and gently took his wrist out of her grasp, so he didn't hurt her.

'Cause we belong together now, yeah

Forever united here somehow, yeah

You got a piece of me 

And honestly 

My life (my life) would suck (would suck) without you

'Cause we belong together now, yeah

Forever united here somehow, yeah

You got a piece of me 

And honestly 

My life (my life) would suck (would suck) without you

While May singing Ash notices crowd getting bigger and realises that crowd had been bigger when he finished singing than when he started. May more at home on stage than Ash and she dances while singing.

When May finished her song she took a quick bow and saw Ash smiling and clapping for her. The man at the karaoke machine handed Ash another mic and pushed him onto the stage as he started playing another song. May saw the words on the screen first and started the song, it wasn't usually a duet but it had been sung as one before.

There's a fire startin' in my heart 

Reachin' a fever pitch and it's bringin' me out the dark

Ash joined in for the next part of the song, he was nervous again but May took hold of his hand and he started to calm down.

_Finally, I can see you crystal clear _

_Go ahead and sell me out and I'll lay your ship bare_

_See how I'll leave with every piece of you _

_Don't underestimate the things that I will do _

_There's a fire starting in my heart _

_Reachin' a fever pitch and it's bringin' me out the dark_

As Ash sang he started to notice that he once again felt that warmth in his chest he could always feel now he was around May. He started to wonder what is was but pushed it aside and focussed on the song.

_The scars of your love remind me of us _

_They keep me thinkin' that we almost had it all _

_The scars of your love, they leave me breathless _

_I can't help feelin'... _

May decided to join in with the chorus and a backing vocals track kicked in.

_We could have had it all _**(You're gonna wish you never had met me)**

_Rolling in the deep _**(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep) **

_You had my heart inside of your hand _**(You're gonna wish you never had met me)**

_And you played it to the beat _**(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)**

Ash let May take the next part of the song. They weren't dancing with the song but they were swaying back and forth while holding hands. Both were smiling and could see that a few couples had started dancing slowly to the song.

Baby, I have no story to be told

But I heard one on you and it's gonna make your head burn

Think of me in the depths of your despair

Makin' a home down there as mine sure won't be shared

Ash took the lead again, as he started to settle into the song

_The scars of your love remind me of us _

_They keep me thinkin' that we almost had it all _

_The scars of your love, they leave me breathless _

_I can't help feelin'..._

_We could have had it all_ **(You're gonna wish you never had met me) **

_Rolling in the deep_ **(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)**

_You had my heart inside of your hands_ **(You're gonna wish you never had met me)**

_And you played it with a beatin'_

On an impulse Ash twirled May around, making her giggle and start to blush.

_Throw your soul through every open door_

Count your blessings to find what you look for

_Turn my sorrow into treasured gold]_

You'll pay me back in kind and reap just what you've sown

**(You're gonna wish you never had met me) **

_Yeah, we could have had it all_ **(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)**

_We could have had it all_ **(You're gonna wish you never had met me)**

_Yeah, it all, it all, it all_ **(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep) **

_We could have had it all _**(You're gonna wish you never had met me)**

_Rolling in the deep _**(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)**

_You had my heart inside of your hands _**(You're gonna wish you never had met me)**

_And you played it to the beat _**(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)**

_You could have had it all _**(You're gonna wish you never had met me) **

_Rolling in the deep _**(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)**

_You had my heart inside of your hands _**(You're gonna wish you never had met me) **

_And you played and you played and you played _

_And you played it to the beat _

The crowd in front of the stage had grown even bigger once they finished singing and were cheering wildly, Ash and May took a bow and walked off the stage. May glanced at a nearby clock and realised what time it was.

"Ash, if we're going to get to the movie we need to leave now." She said, Ash looked at the clock and nodded. He went to the bar to pay for their drinks when the man from the stage walked up to them.

"I'm the manager of this place and after a performance like that I can't let you pay for your drinks, they're on the house."

"Thank you but there's no need to do that, we had fun." Ash said still reaching for his wallet but the man put his hand on Ash's arm stopping him.

"You've done me a favour by singing here tonight. People were coming in to see who was singing and that's nearly doubled my profit, I heard your girlfriend say you're going to be late for a movie so don't stand here trying to pay for those drinks and go see your movie."

"Are you sure?" asked May. The man nodded, Ash and May thanked the man and promised him that next time they came to Cerulean City they'd come and sing again. They left the bar and made their way to the movie theatre. They made it with time to spare so Ash bought May some popcorn, they then went to find some seats and wait for the movie to start. As the movie started May linked her arm with Ash's and lent against him slightly

Ash was fighting to stay wake during the movie and nearly fell asleep a couple of time, the only thing that stopped him was the fact he didn't want to upset May. He remembered something Gary had told him to do during the movie, to keep May from getting to cold. Ash lifted his arm out of May gently and put it across her shoulders, when May felt Ash moving his arm away from hers she was going to ask if anything was wrong but stopped when he put his arm around her. She just smiled and snuggled closer to him resting her head on his shoulder and blushing slightly. Ash could feel a now familiar warmth in his chest when May moved closer to him and wonder once more what it was. Once the movie ended Ash and May walked to a nearby restaurant to have something to eat, once they were seated and ordered their food they started talking again.

"Ash, where did you get Jolteon and Zorua?" May asked.

"I found them both together." Ash replied. "I was in Unova for a little while and spending some time in Castelia City. Burgh, the Gym Leader asked me to help him clear out some Venipede that had stayed around since the last time I was there. I was walking round the sewers and found a staircase, I went up and found a small park hidden behind some of the buildings. I was about to go back into the sewers when I saw an Eevee lying on the ground and she looked hurt, I ran over but a Dark Pulse stopped me getting to close. That's when Zorua appeared, he jumped in front of Eevee and asked why I was running at her."

"Wait, Zorua can talk?" May asked, Ash nodded.

"I'll tell you how I met Zorua the first time later. Now where was I...Oh yeah, I told Zorua who I was and that I only wanted to help Eevee. As I got closer I saw that Zorua was hurt as well, I asked what happened and he said that a group of Grimer and Muk had come out of the sewers and attacked them for the food they had. While I took care of their injuries Zorua told me how he met Eevee after he decided it was time to leave home, it took about an hour to finish tending to their wounds and Eevee woke up not long after that. Zorua told her I only wanted to help and that I healed them, Eevee was still nervous around me but she calmed down a little when I gave her some food. I was about to leave when Zorua tackled me, I was going to ask why he did it but then I saw a Sludge attack go flying past. I turned around and saw the group of Grimer and Muk that Zorua had been talking about, Pikachu jumped in front of Eevee and used Iron Tail to stop another attack from hitting her. I released all of the Pokémon I had with me and tried to fend off the attacks. I had Bulbasaur, Gible, Haunter, Quilava, Corphish and Pikachu obviously, they went straight into defending Zorua and Eevee, after a while we'd knocked all of the Grimer out and there was only Muk left. My Pokémon went on the attack and I stayed back making sure that Eevee and Zorua didn't get hurt, just before Muk was knocked out he sent a Sludge Bomb at Eevee, dove in between them, grabbed Eevee and took the hit. It knocked me out for a few minutes and when I woke up all the Pokémon were round me and Eevee was curled up on my chest, I healed my Pokémon and spent a bit more time with Eevee and Zorua before it started getting late and I needed to go. As I started to walk away I felt something pull on my leg, I looked down and saw that Eevee was pulling on my jeans, Zorua told me that Eevee wanted to come with me and so did he. I caught both of them and that's it. I found out a few months later that Eevee was the smallest of her litter and had been abandoned, Pikachu looked after her and sort of became her dad that's why she wanted to evolve into a Jolteon, about a year later we found a Thunderstone and she evolved. Zorua could evolve now if he wanted to he's strong enough but he said he's not ready yet."

"That's a nice story, I'm glad you were able to give them both a home, I have a question though. Why is it that most of your Pokémon choose to come with you instead of you just catching them?" May asked. Ash thought for a minute before answering.

"I don't know I didn't really notice before now." May sweatdropped but let it go. The waiter came over with their food and while they ate Ash explained how Samurott had evolved.

"I was training in the Orange Island and saw that Lorelei was giving a lecture, I waited till it finished and asked her for some advice on how to get the most out of my water and ice types. She offered to give me some training and we spent the next couple of days working with my Pokémon during that time Oshawott evolved into Dewott. That was about six months after I left home, he evolved again during a battle in Unova defending an old friend but that's a story for another time. Since he evolved into a Dewott he became more willing to battle and now he'll take on anyone." Ash said, May tried to get Ash to talk more about the battle when Samurott evolved but he wouldn't say anything about it other then they were helping an old friend. May then asked a question that she'd be thinking about since the Contest in Pewter City.

"Ash, why have you been training with the people like Wallace and Lorelei?"

"When I started travelling again, I knew I wanted to train my Pokémon to be the best that they could be, not for me but for themselves. I realised that the best way to do that was to train with the best. I've met most of the Elite Four for the regions I've competed in and I've met the Champions as well so I thought that if I ran into them again I'd ask for their help, they all said yes. Some helped train my Pokémon, other just gave me some advice but all of the ones I asked helped me in some way, a few of them wanted to see how committed I was to my Pokémon and gave me some tests to complete. Lorelei made me memorise the members of each Elite Four and the Champions along with their Pokémon then recite it back to her three times without stopping or making a mistake before she agreed to help me and Wallace want me to show him I could battle in a Contest style before he helped. Lance and Cynthia didn't ask me to do anything though they just got straight to the point and battled me to see where I needed to improve, I didn't manage to beat them when we battled but I was able to knock out a couple of their Pokémon before the battle ended. Now I take all the advice and experience they've given me and I'm going to win each League I've competed in already, starting here in Kanto."

"Wow, you really thought about it didn't you." May said, Ash smiled sadly and looked down at his plate.

"Yeah I did, I realised that I'd been making mistakes since I started only taking Pikachu to the different Regions and neglecting my other Pokémon," Ash said sounding ashamed of himself, "I'm just glad that my Pokémon forgave me, I made them a promise that I'd never do anything like that again, that I'd keep rotating my team around so that they all get a chance to travel with me. I'm a bad trainer for doing that, I should've known better" Ash stopped when he felt something touch his hand, he looked up and saw it was May's hand his gaze continued upwards and until he met her eyes, he saw tears in the corners of her eyes and an angry expression on her face.

"Ash Ketchum, don't you ever say anything like that again." she said angrily, "You're not a bad trainer, if you were I wouldn't be a Co-Ordinator, Brock would still be the Pewter City Gym Leader, Dawn wouldn't be as strong as she is. Everyone who's travelled with you wouldn't be who they are if you were a bad trainer so don't you DARE say that again or you'll have to answer to all of us." Ash could feel the angry rolling off May in waves, he nodded nervously and saw the angry fire in her eyes die down. "Now that's sorted, lets finish our meal."

Ash could tell he'd messed up, even though she had calmed down he felt the anger inside of May through his Aura.

"I'm sorry May." he said softly.

"What do you mean Ash?"

"I know you're still angry."

"I'm not angry."

"Yes you are. I can feel it."

"Feel it?" May asked. Ash's eyes glowed blue, that's when May realised that Ash felt her anger through his Aura. "Oh, I don't mean to be angry but I don't like hearing you talk down about yourself, you're the greatest trainer I've ever met and I don't want you thinking otherwise"

"Don't worry May, I'll make it up to you somehow." After that they finished their meal and once Ash paid they went outside, it was dark out and the sky was clear so they could see the full moon and the stars.

"So what now?" asked May. Ash smiled and took a Pokéball from his belt and threw it into the air.

In a flash of white light a majestic bird appeared. "PIDGEOT" he cried into the night sky. Pidgeot circled a couple of times before landing in front of Ash and May, Ash climbed onto the flying types back and held his hand out towards May.

"Now we fly." Ash said, May slowly took Ash's hand and climbed onto Pidgeot's back, sitting in front of Ash. "Pidgeot, let's go." Pidgeot flapped his wings and quickly took to the skies, flying out from Cerulean City. The sudden take off threw May back into Ash's chest but once Pidgeot had levelled off and was flying smoothly she didn't move, simply enjoying the view and the warmth she could feel from Ash. Ash had his arms resting on Pidgeot's back until May took them and wrapped them around her waist.

"Why'd you do that?" Ash asked.

"I don't want you to fall off." She said not looking back at him, hiding her blush. They flew on in silence and watched the night sky twinkling with celestial light, after a while Pidgeot started to slowly drop down for a controlled landing. They had landed in a clearing near Cerulean Cape, Ash thanked Pidgeot and returned him to his Pokéball telling him to take a rest. May linked her arm around Ash's and rested her head on his shoulder as they walked to the Cape, they looked out over the water and watched as the moon's reflection rippled in the small waves.

"Ash" May said quietly while looking over the water.

"Yeah May." Ash replied.

"What do you think of ...the view?" May asked mentally kicking herself, she had wanted to ask what he thought of her but couldn't bring herself to say it.

"It's beautiful." Ash said, _just like you_ he thought. They walked around in silence enjoying each others company until Ash spoke again. "May, can I ask you something?"

"Sure Ash, you can ask me anything you know that."

"Well I was wondering..."

"Wondering what?"

"Can I have my hat back?" he asked with a grin, May hit his arm playfully as she laughed.

"Don't you think it looks good on me?" May asked.

"May, you look good in anything." Ash said, causing May to blush and look away.

"You can have it back when we get to the Gym."

"Okay." Ash and May spent a little while longer walking around the Cape before deciding that it was time to go back. Ash released Pidgeot from his Pokéball and climbed onto his back before helping May get on. Just before Pidgeot took off Ash put his arms round May's waist, "I don't want to fall off." He said. May just nodded, kept looking forward and leaned back against Ash as they flew into the sky. As Pidgeot turned towards Cerulean City he noticed a school of pink heart shaped Pokémon leap from the water, the two people on his back however didn't see them as they were staring at the night sky wondering what tomorrow would bring. May watched as the moonlight shone across the landscape and thought that despite the rocky moments this evening had gone well and even though he didn't know it the flight was very romantic. She saw a star that twinkled brighter then the rest and made a silent wish that Ash would return her feelings and that they would always be together.

Pidgeot landed right in front of the Gym and Ash thanked him for all his hard work, as they had stayed up in the air for a while to look at the moon and stars. May took Ash's hat off and placed it on his head, she took a couple of seconds to adjust it before taking a step back to admire her work.

"Feel better now?" she asked. Ash grinned and nodded.

"Yeah." He replied, "May, did you have fun tonight?" he asked.

"Yeah I did, did you?"

"Yeah, sorry for making you angry I..." Ash stopped talking when May placed a finger on his lips.

"Ash we had a great time together, don't ruin it." She said, May then gave Ash a quick peck on the cheek and walked to the doors of the Gym, Ash was about to follow when he saw a small flicker of light from the corner of his eye. He turned to see what it was but couldn't see anything, May noticed that he'd stopped and was peering into the night.

"What is it Ash?" she asked. Ash took on last look into the darkness before turning to May.

"Nothing, just my imagination." He said and followed May into the Gym. Ash went straight to bed while May was interrogated by Misty had waited for them to get back so she could lock the Gym's doors. Misty wanted to know every little detail of what happened that evening, she was surprised to hear that Ash had a good singing voice and decided to have a little talk with the Mayor about his daughter's attitude. Eventually Misty and May went to sleep, knowing that Ash and May were leaving in the morning and had a long day ahead of them. Gary had left not long after Ash and May went out, wanting to get to Mount Moon before it got too dark.

Ash had woken up early again and was doing his usual exercises when he heard the phone ringing, knowing that May and Misty were still asleep he ran to answer it.

"Hello, Cerulean City Gym." He said answering the phone and activating the screen.

"ASH KETCHUM, WHAT HAVEN'T YOU BEEN TELLING ME!" came the familiar and angry voice of Ash's mother through the speaker of the phone.

"What are you taking about mom? And why are you shouting?" Ash asked.

"Explain this!" she replied showing him a copy of Pokémon Trainer magazine, when Ash saw the front cover his eyes widened. There was a large picture of him and May outside the Gym with May kissing his cheek underneath was a headline saying 'Princess of Hoenn has found her Prince'. "Why didn't you tell me that you and May were in a relationship!" she shouted, "I know you're still upset about the letter and everything but that's no reason to keep this from me." Ash tried to find the volume control on the phone so that no one would wake up.

"Ash, what's all the noise?" Ash turned round and saw May stood behind him wearing a large t-shirt and a pair of shorts, the t-shirt was long enough to cover nearly all of the shorts so it actually looked like May was just wearing the t-shirt, the collar of the t-shirt had slipped to the side showing one of May's shoulders, she hadn't brushed her hair which was a perfect example of bed head. When Ash's mom saw May she got the completely wrong idea seeing her dressed like that and Ash sweating slightly from his exercises.

"ASH KETCHUM, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING! You know I wanted grandchildren but you need to respect May." Delia said. While Ash looked confused, May realised what she meant and became really embarrassed.

"It's not like that Mrs Ketchum. I thought Ash told you what's going on." May said before quickly explaining about the favour and how Ash was helping her.

"Well how do you explain the picture?"

"What picture?" Delia showed May the magazine, May blushed a bright red and quickly explained that to keep up the appearance of her and Ash being a couple they went on a 'date' and to say thank you she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Okay, I understand now but I wish you'd told me sooner. Just in case I was asked about it." Delia said calming down, "May, can I talk to you privately?"

"Okay." May said nervously. Ash walked back to the pool to let them talk in peace, "What did you want to talk about?"

"Tell me everything that's happened between the two of you and don't leave anything out." May nodded and quickly summarised everything that had happened since they met up in Viridian City, once she finished Delia nodded.

"I see, so you really care for Ash don't you." It wasn't a question but May answered anyway.

"Yeah, I do." She said softly with a small smile as she looked down and the ground.

"May, look at me." Delia said kindly, May raised her head and looked at the screen. "I want you to stay strong and never doubt you feelings for Ash. It might take him a while to realise it but he cares for you as much as you care for him."

"How do you know?"

"I saw it in his eyes when I showed him the magazine. It's all there but he just doesn't know what it is, if you ever want to talk about it just call me." May nodded, "Can you get Ash for me please, and don't worry I won't tell him about how you feel." May nodded again and ran to get Ash, before going to get washed and dressed. Ash came to the phone and smiled at his mother.

"Hi Mom, what did you talk to May about?"

"That's something just between us girls, now about that picture. With everything that you're doing for May you need to keep up the image more so now."

"Why?"

"Because now everyone will think you're in a relationship with May not just the people that have seen you together. I'm surprised that you haven't heard from Dawn about it yet, you need to make sure that it looks like a real relationship otherwise the whole thing will fall apart." Delia paused so Ash could focus on what she was about to say, "If it comes out that it's all fake then a lot of hurtful thing will be said and done to May. I know that you don't want that to happen so look after her."

"I will mom you don't have to worry about that."

"That's good, I have a couple more things to ask. How was you date?"

"Apart from the thing with Jenny and May shouting at me for doubting myself it went okay, we had a good time."

"That's good to hear. The other thing I want to ask is have you forgiven me yet?" Ash's face darkened slightly.

"I'm still a little mad but I do forgive you. I know why you did it, I understand that. It's just that it took so long for the truth to come out, it hurt me but I'm getting over it. I've got to go now but I'll call you when we get to the next town. I love you mom."

"I love you too Ash." They then ended the call and Ash went to finish his exercises and get changed before making breakfast. When he was getting changed he realised that the flicker of light he saw last night must've been a camera. While Ash was making breakfast he was talking to May about how long it would take to get to her next Contest and a few combinations he could help her with. Misty came into kitchen and asked why she heard shouting, May explained what had happened and Ash told them both about the light. Misty nodded and said that if anyone called the Gym about them she wouldn't say anything about them other then they were her friends. The conversation turned to other subjects one being an explosion that Misty had heard over a week earlier coming from Mount Moon, Ash sweatdropped and told her that the explosion was probably him explaining what had happened with Team Rocket and using Nature's Fury. Misty nodded in understanding and was grateful that Ash didn't use any attacks like that during their battle.

After they finished their breakfast all three of them along with Pikachu, Lucario and Meowth went to the Pokémon Centre to get their Pokémon healed and Ash wanted to rotate his team again, he sent Pidgeot and Grimm to the Lab and called for Donphan and Sawk, keeping Sandshrew with him. Ash had a basic training plan set out for Meowth, Sandshrew and Grimm to increase their strength, stamina and speed while also helping them learn some new attacks. He was going to pair the Pokémon up, having Meowth work with Pikachu, Sandshrew with Donphan and Sawk with Lucario, this would allow them to get stronger at a steady pace, it would take them a few days to get to the next Pokémon Centre and by that time Ash had a feeling that he would be able to switch his Pokémon around giving the ones he currently had a rest and allowing him to call for some more of his new Pokémon so he could start their training. May called her parents telling them about the magazine so that they were ready if anyone contacted them and asking them to tell Max next time they heard from him. She then called Brock and told him, Brock understood the situation and said he'd do the same as Misty and not tell anyone anything. Finally she called Professor Oak so she could swap her Pokémon around, she sent Munchlax and Wartortle back and asked for Venusaur and her Teddiursa that she caught in Johto.

Once Ash and May were ready and bought some supplies they said goodbye to Misty and promised to keep her up to date on how their journey was going. Misty promised that if she couldn't make it to the Grand Festival or Pokémon League she would be at the Gym cheering loud enough for them to hear her. As they left the Pokémon Centre May took Ash's hand smiling as they walked through the city but underneath the smile she was worried the situation had gotten out of hand with the magazine, May knew that she had a small fan base thanks to her success as a Co-Ordinator, just like Dawn does, but she didn't want something like this to happen unless it was real.

"Miss Maple, Miss Maple." She heard someone shouting, both she and Ash turned around to see a man with a camera in his hands. The man started to take pictures "Do you have anything to say about your relationship with this man? Who is he? How long have you been together? Are you getting married?" he asked while taking pictures. Ash was about to ask the man to leave them alone when Lucario stepped forward and took the man's camera away, Pikachu jumped onto Lucario's shoulder. Meowth moved in front of May just in case.

"Please leave us alone." Ash said to the man, "We don't want to answer any questions and we don't want our picture taken either." Pikachu put the tip of his tail on the camera and sent a couple of sparks into it erasing everything on the memory card. Ash knew he shouldn't but he needed to make a point, using his Aura he added power to his words, "Let anyone else who might bother us know that my Pokémon are very protective and will do whatever's necessary to keep us safe." Ash started to turn away when he stopped, "and if I see that in a magazine then I'll know who did it. Understand ?" The man was now sweating bullet and nodded quickly.

"Yes sir, I understand." He said, Ash dropped the effect of his Aura.

"Good, Lucario please give him his camera back." Lucario did as Ash asked, "Come on lets go I want get started again." Ash walked away still holding May's hand, with Lucario and Pikachu following behind them and Meowth walking alongside May. The man left out a sigh of relief and passed out.

"Ash, did you mean what you said back there? About your Pokémon doing whatever's necessary?" May asked. Ash shook his head.

"No, I just wanted to make a point that we wanted to be left alone." He replied.

"Where did you learn to speak like that it didn't seem like you. It scared me a little." Ash could see the slight look of fear in May's eyes and stopped walking to give her a hug.

"I didn't mean to scare you May, I'm sorry." Ash said as he enveloped May with his arms, "When Riley was teaching me he said the greatest weapon I had was my mind and the words can win more battle then attacks. He taught the sort of things I could say to stop things happening, I won't work all the time but it never hurt to try. Lucario will keep a look out for anyone else who might bother us and warn me." May nodded her head as she rested it on Ash's chest, feeling safe in his arms. They ended the hug and linked arms, Pikachu jumped back onto Ash's shoulder and they made their way out of Cerulean City and onwards to the next stage of their journey.

* * *

**And that's it for now**

**Songs used are Taking Over Me by Lawson, My Life Would Suck Without You by Kelly Clarkson and Rolling in the Deep by Adele**

**Disclaimer :- I don't own any of these songs. I just like them.**

**Current Teams are:-**

**Ash:- Pikachu, Lucario,Meowth, Sandshrew, Donphan and Sawk**

**May:- Glaceon, Blaziken, Mawile, Venusaur, Teddiursa and Beautifly.**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Review and tell me what you think.**

**Any Questions then put in a review or send me a PM**

**Until Next time.**

**Basic Trainer**


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